A councillor has said that EU citizens in Ceredigion have been left “disenfranchised” after not receiving polling cards for the European elections tomorrow.

EU citizens are eligible to vote in the EU election in the UK, but are asked to indicate they are going to do so, rather than in their home country.

Aberystwyth councillor Mark Strong said many such citizens were unaware of the issue and had not received the European Parliament voter registration form from the council to make their choice known.

Subsequently it has left many EU citizens in the county without polling cards or a postal ballot.

If someone is already registered to vote, local councils should send the form automatically as people are not allowed to vote in the European elections in two countries.

Cllr Strong, whose partner is an EU citizen, warned that it has left many thinking they will not be able to vote as residents go to the polls on Thursday.

Ceredigion council said EU citizens will be able to vote without a polling card, and that it had “proactively” notified all affected residents in the county “since the beginning of the election process”.

Cllr Strong said, however, that the process “is very worrying for democracy.”

“It can’t be right that so many EU citizens in the county, and from what I understand across the country, have not received polling cards,” he said.

“It leaves them under the impression they cannot vote when they can.

“They were told they needed to complete a letter stating they would be voting either in their country of origin or in the UK.

“Those letters never arrived, so they did not receive postal ballots or polling cards.

“The process has left them disenfranchised and thinking they don’t have a vote.”

A council spokesperson told the Cambrian News: “The council has proactively dealt with this issue since the beginning of the election process.

“Notifications have been placed on the council’s website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

“A press release has also been issued.

“All applications from EU citizens registered in Ceredigion that have been received have been processed.

“They will be eligible to vote on Thursday without a polling card.

“If any individual needs further help, we will do our utmost to support and accommodate these requests.

“They should contact [email protected] or 01545 572032 prior to Thursday’s election.”

Voting for the EU elections will take place on Thursday, with the count and results set to take place on Sunday, 26 May.