Referendum postal votes problem

Dont know if this has already been noted here but as it is such an important topic I am copying anyway reports from other sites

'Another hot topic - just come back from La Poste in the village - postmistress advising that the 'Free Postage' envelope that people will be sending back their votes in, will be ignored by La Poste as they will not be paid for them. 'Poste Priorite' is only 1 euro per envelope. Please share'

'Lizzie Hale Sorry this is a bit lengthy and not gardening related but for those people who have already posted their postal votes in the post boxes, before this all came to light, we have been down to our local sorting office this morning, they couldn't have been more helpful, went away and checked all the letters waiting for processing but couldn't find them, but said that a stamp is definitely needed. So, I have tried to ring my local council in UK, no reply so I rang the House of Commons, they gave me the number for the Electoral Commission which is 0044 333 1031928. I have tried to explain to them that the problem is France wide not just our department in 53 and that why should we in effectively lose our vote for following the voting instructions to the letter. I have also asked that we be granted a 'proxy' vote instead. I am waiting for a call back from them. If your vote won't be counted please ring the electoral Commission and/or your local council in the UK. We have enough MPs in Brussels, at least one of them should have been given the job of making sure that the postage paid envelopes should be honoured -or simpler still - they should have just sent them out in ordinary envelopes then we would have stamped them anyway. Thank you all for taking the time to read. I hope we get something sorted for us, our futures could be altered quite considerably by the outcome of this referendum.'

Scaremongering!

Usually by people who have not even seen the envelopes...

A similar thread on a facebook group thread has had it confirmed by the voting office that all international licences have been agreed and paid and no-one should be asked or expected to put another stamp on the envelope.

An international agreement is in place and has been set up correctly, so fear not!

"...they couldn't have been more helpful, went away and checked all the letters waiting for processing but couldn't find them"

I don't suppose that could be because they had already been processed are are whizzing their merry way to good 'ol blighty?

The top left hand corner of the envelope bears the International Business Response Service number followed by the licence number.

Possibly. But why take the chance. I have been here 18 years 3 of them as a civil servant and know only too well that public servants at local level male their own decisions. And I have seen them park in 'pendimg' anything they have not seen before to be dealt with at some time in the future. I can't vote but if I could and had taken the time to register I would put a stamp on the envelope to makecertain y vote was counted

"Fear not" said he, for mighty dread had siezed their troubled minds. "Glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind"

When the EDF debacle broke and I had to send off a cheque for the additional bill they levied, I took particular umbridge at paying for the blasted postage stamp as well! So, I stuck the cheque in a plain envelope, wrote the address on it and banged it in the post. Lo and behold, the cheque was paid in by EDF not long after...

Are you seriously suggesting that highly paid and respected civil servants (if that is what Postal workers are) have never seen a Business Reply Envelope...

Graham,I do not know how long you have been living in France, but you should be aware that international agreements are not always honoured by those French civil servants who think they know better.

I have had to take the French health authorities to to the european commission on behalf of all British retirees and it took the French two years to say that I was right and that they had not understood the EU regulations!

9 years in France Jane.

So, I have done my duty and have voted. I stuck the relevant form in the relevant envelope and that, together with the necessary form in the bigger envelope duly signed with my DoB and stuck it in the post.

There is nothing more to do.

No need for me to get stressed out about it.

The matter is now in the hands of the Gods and I have no way of knowing if my piece of paper arrived in timely fashion.

If the country votes for Brexit, it will probably be disrespected by those elected to lord it over us anyway...

Graham, I hope your vote arrives, which is more than ours have done in the past, even though we have posted them ourselves, with the correct postage.

There's no guarantee they would get through and be counted even if posted in UK so no need to have a go at the French.

from another expat site:

As some of you may have seen, on other websites, a dangerous piece of disinformation, regarding postal voting in the forthcoming EU referendum by registered overseas electors, currently is in circulation. It is that La Poste will not accept the pre-paid reply envelopes, supplied with the postal voting packs, unless a postage stamp is affixed to them. THIS IS INCORRECT. If you wish for independent confirmation of this, go to https://www.york.gov.uk/info/20035/elections/1845/overseas_electors where you will find the following statement:

'..... the Electoral Commission have arranged for airmail postage to be paid for the return envelopes during the EU Referendum 2016, unlike other elections.'

It is said - although I've not yet been able to obtain confirmation of this from La Poste - that if, as a result of this piece of disinformation, a stamp is affixed to the pre-paid reply envelopes, the automated scanners of La Poste and the Post Office will reject them and there is a strong probability that they will not be delivered, either by 23 June or at all, so that the votes will not be counted and the voters will, effectively, be disenfranchised.

It's been suggested to me that this piece of disinformation emanated from people involved in the Brexit campaign on the basis that it is assumed that the vast majority of registered overseas electors, living in EU member states, will vote to stay in the EU and the best way to prevent their votes arriving and being counted is to persuade such people to do something - i.e. affix postage stamps to the pre-paid reply envelopes - that will ensure that the votes will not be delivered by post!

Quite a significant point made there which I can well believe...