Polling cards did not arrive

Scheffau residents can no longer cast their vote

The card for the postal vote did not reach two Scheffau residents: They are now on vacation - they are now unable to cast their vote at all for the municipal and mayoral elections (symbolic image).

(Bild: PID/Markus Wache)

Shortly before the election, there is a lot of anger in Tennengau. Problems with the post office deprive several citizens of their right to vote. Not only a couple in Scheffau is affected, but also in Adnet and Puch the anger is great.

"It's not a democratic election if I can't vote!" A man from Oberscheffau (65) is upset. He and his wife flew away on vacation on Thursday and applied for extra polling cards. But they did not receive them.

The municipality of Scheffau posted the voting cards for the couple at the post office on February 20, confirmed Mayor Friedrich Strubreiter. Only reassurances came from the distribution center in Puch. Strubreiter is annoyed: "If I can no longer rely on that ...", he leaves the sentence unfinished. "The municipality pays for the delivery, then I also expect them to be delivered on time!"

Swiss Post rejects the accusations: the polling cards were not sent as registered mail. There is therefore no way for the post office and the municipality to trace where the letter ended up. They could "not even confirm that it was given to us by the municipality for transportation", says Markus Leitgeb from the post office.

Municipality delivers polling cards itself
There were also problems in Adnet and Puch. "Some cards arrived very late, but many are still on their way!" says Adnet's head of municipality Wolfgang Auer. The municipality reacted: employees are delivering the last polling cards themselves. In Puch, the telephone lines at the municipal office are running hot. "Two polling cards have not yet arrived, another one took two and a half weeks!" reports Mayor Helmut Klose. And in Bad Vigaun, Friedrich Holztrattner appeals to everyone: "Post it in yourself!"