ONE in seven people in Kirklees wants to vote by post.
The deadline for registering as a postal voter for the General Election passed yesterday in Kirklees.
By that time, 37,500 people had applied for postal votes.
There are 280,000 people registered to vote in total in Kirklees - meaning 13.4% of voters will be casting their ballot by post.
The last batch of postal ballot papers will be sent out on Thursday.
Postal voting is proving popular nationwide, with about 6.5 million ballot papers dropping on doormats at homes around the country.
But the system has been plagued by problems.
In Kirklees this week, 25 postal voting packs were sent out without ballot papers enclosed.
Newsome resident Richard Broadbent was one of the people who failed to receive his postal voting forms.
Mr Broadbent, who has voted by post or proxy for many years, said: "Voting is important, it is something we should do and obstacles should not be put in our way."
However, electoral services have urged voters not to worry and packs would be sent out immediately.
A spokeswoman said: "We are aware of 25 addresses where packs went out without the ballot papers enclosed.
"These are being hand-delivered and we apologise for any inconvenience caused."
In other areas of the country there have been incidents of electoral fraud linked to postal voting.
Three weeks ago, Judge Richard Mawrey QC said the voting system was "wide open to fraud".
He was presiding over a vote-rigging trial in Birmingham.
Six council seats won by Labour in the city were at the centre of the row.
In Bradford, Tory councillor Jamshed Khan is facing allegations of vote rigging, after 13 voters were found to be registered at his six-bedroom home.
Mr Khan also faces questioning about a further 12 people registered to vote at a derelict house that he co-owned until recently.
Clr Khan denies the allegations and is seeking legal advice.
