The Election Commission of Sri Lanka requests voters to visit their respective voting centers in the morning and cast their votes at the earliest possible opportunities.
The Chairman of the Election Commission, R.M.A.L. Ratnayake, urged voters to make sure that they take a valid document to confirm their identity when vising polling centers.
However, he clarified that not receiving an official polling card will not be an obstacle for registered voters to cast their votes.
“If you have not received an official polling card, there is no issue. If you have a valid Identity Card you will get the opportunity to cast your vote. National Identity Card (NIC), Valid Passport, Valid Driving License, Public Service Retirement ID, elders Identity Card, ID cards provided to clergy, confirmation letter of NIC information, temporary ID card issued by the Election Commission for disabled persons or the temporary ID card issued by the Election Commission for others. If you have one of these accepted forms of identification you’re eligible to cast your vote,” he said.
The Election Commission has also issued guidelines on the proper voting and preference-marking procedure.
Each voter has one vote, which can be cast for a recognized political party or an independent group. To do so, an ‘x’ mark should be placed in front of the chosen political party’s symbol or in the space before the number and symbol of the independent group.
Additionally, voters may express their preference for up to three candidates nominated by the selected party or group by placing an ‘x’ in the space containing the number assigned to each candidate at the end of the ballot paper.
The Election Commission clarified that any ballot showing votes for multiple political parties or independent groups, or containing identifiable marks other than the specified ‘x,’ will be considered invalid. Meanwhile, only an ‘x’ mark should be used for both voting and indicating candidate preferences, as per the election regulatory body.
-Ada Derena