Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Thousands of Glastonbury 2016 festival revellers could miss out on EU referendum vote

The expected date of the European referendum is June 23 - the second day of the Glastonbury festival

Ashley Cowburn
Wednesday 17 February 2016 17:15 GMT
Comments
Glastonbury festival 2015
Glastonbury festival 2015 (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Around 135,000 Glastonbury revellers could miss out on the chance to cast their ballot in the European referendum this June as there will be no polling station at the music festival.

It is widely expected that the Prime Minister David Cameron will go ahead with the vote on Britain’s membership of the European Union on June 23 – the second day of the annual Glastonbury festival, which is expected to draw in a crowd close to 135,000.

The Electoral Commission, who are responsible for overseeing elections and referendums in the UK, said because of legal framework it would not be possible for a polling station to be set-up at Glastonbury for people to vote in person.

They added: "As similar to other elections, each person would have to vote in their local area and if they want to vote in person, they would have to vote at the polling station they have been assigned.

"It wouldn't be possible to turn-up to just any polling station and vote because the local authority wouldn't have the voter on their local electoral register and therefore would be unable to check if you were entitled to vote.

However, a spokesperson for the Commission added that festival-goers would be able to apply for absentee ballots by opting for either a postal vote or nominating someone to vote for them.

A Glastonbury spokesman added to the Bristol Post: "We are keeping an eye on when the final decision on the date for the referendum is announced and then we will look to put provisions in place."

Coldplay have confirmed they are to headline the Pyramid Stage in the Sunday slot at the Glastonbury Festival this year. The band announced the news on Twitter with a photograph of the field in which they'll be playing on 26 June.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in