Samantha Riley, 25, claims she was turned away from voting in Bury North (Picture: MEN Media)

Voters have claimed they are getting turned away from polling stations despite being registered.

It’s been dubbed the ‘most important election in a generation’ and voters have turned out in force, if the pictures of massive queues are anything to go by.

But for some voters, their hopes of taking part in democracy have allegedly been dashed.

Ellis Bennett, 18, claims he registered to vote in his first election weeks ago, but was turned away from his polling station in Liverpool this morning.


He alleges his name was not on the electoral list.

Ellis told the Liverpool Echo: ‘I turned up today ready to vote but when I gave my name they said I wasn’t on the list.



‘They put me on to someone at the council who said I wasn’t the first person to complain about this – I definitely registered weeks ago.’

Ellis said he assumed it was a postal error when his polling card did not arrive after he registered.

Ellis Bennett, 18, claims he was turned away from a polling station this morning (Picture: Liverpoool Echo)

Boris Johnson poses outside Methodist Hall polling station as he casts his vote with dog Dilyn (Picture: Getty)

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn poses at a polling station in north London (Picture: Getty)

A spokesperson for Liverpool Council today: ‘We are not aware of any issues concerning voter registration and if people registered to vote on or before November 26, they should be eligible to vote today.

‘We will however investigate any instances where people claim this has not happened for them.

‘We would remind residents that if you have registered to vote but do not have a polling card, they can still vote today.’

Mum Susan Riley and daughter Samantha claim they were turned away from St Peter’s Primary School, in Bury North – despite saying a council officer assured them they were registered.

But they said the poll station staff turned them away because they were not on the list of voters for the area.

Samantha, of Brecon Drive, said a Bury Council officer turned up at the family home to register her family to vote on October 12.

She said the staff member filled in all of their details on an iPad and confirmed they had been registered.

Aidan Conway took this picture of a huge queue in Balham, south London (Picture: Aidan Conway)

Another huge queue at a different polling station in Balham (Picture: Andrew Cleary)

But it was only Samantha’s father Andrew who was listed on the register today, while Susan and Samantha said they were not allowed to vote.

Samantha, 25, said: ‘We moved to our new house and a man from the council visited. As far as I was concerned that was it, I was registered to vote.

‘I thought I was registered based on what the gentleman from the council said.

‘But at the polling station they said you can’t vote if you have not got your name down on the list.

‘Only my dad was registered to vote.’

She added: ‘It is frustrating especially with it being such an important election.

‘It would have been nice to have my input into the vote. I feel there is nothing I can really do about it.

‘He took my details, he said that is it you are on the register – all sorted.’

The family are concerned other voters in Bury have also been turned away today.



Earlier this morning, there were reports of long queues at polling stations across Greater Manchester.

Voters at Victoria Square polling station, on Oldham Road, Ancoats, said there were at least 100 people in the queue.

This is the third General Election since June 2015.

Boris Johnson called the early election at the end of October after he failed to get his Brexit deal through Parliament.

The Prime Minister hopes by calling a national ballot he will be able to form a majority government.

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