Election votes disqualified due to misprint

The results of at least 15 local election votes have been disqualified in Oldham following a council misprint on ballot cards.

Voters in Waterhead are understood to have been given papers listing candidates from a seat around three miles away in Shaw in error.

Concerns have been raised after the polls closed in the 2026 local elections on Thursday evening (May 7). Votes took place across the country, with seats up for grabs on 136 councils, including in all ten Greater Manchester boroughs where a third of all seats were being contested.

Elsewhere, six mayoral elections have taken place in England, and elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments have also been held.

Polling stations closed at 10pm, with the first results from across the country due to be declared from the early hours of the morning. In total, 46 are due to count and declare results overnight, with the first Greater Manchester results due from Wigan at around 2.30am.

The majority of authorities will count and declare later on Friday (May 8), with the final results due on Saturday evening (May 9).

Shortly after polls closed in Oldham, it emerged that some votes have been disqualified due to a misprint on ballot cards in Waterhead. At least 15 votes have been disqualified after the candidates for Shaw were mistakenly printed instead.

In the event of a closely-run vote, it could mean the authority would be forced to call a re-vote.
A spokesperson for Oldham Council said: “We are aware of an issue affecting some ballot papers in the Waterhead ward. An investigation is underway to determine the extent.”

As of around 12am on Friday, May 8, verification is ongoing, which will determine how many ballot papers were affected by the misprint.
Overnight, results can be expected from Bolton (from 3am), Salford (from 3am), Wigan (from 2:30am), Oldham (from 5am), Stockport (from 5am), and Tameside (from 3am).