Special transport facility for voters with physical disabilities – EC

The Election Commission has announced that individuals who are unable to travel to the polling station in the Local Authorities Election due to physical disabilities can apply for a special transport facility to assist them in reaching the polling station.

According to the statement, any person who cannot travel to the polling station on foot, or by services provided by the Sri Lanka Transport Board, Sri Lanka Railways, or any public transport due to physical disability, may apply in writing to the Returning Officer of the District.

The application can be made either by the individual or by another person on their behalf (excluding a candidate) to request the use of a vehicle for transportation to the polling station.

Application forms for this facility can be obtained from the District Elections Office, Divisional Secretariat, Grama Niladhari Office in the area of the relevant Local Authority, or via the Election Commission’s website, the statement said.

Under the law, the application must reach the Returning Officer (Local Authority) no later than seven days before the date of the poll, i.e., before April 29, 2025.

If the Returning Officer is satisfied with the application, a permit will be issued allowing the individual to use the special transport facility, said Commissioner General of Election, Saman Sri Rathnayaka.

To aid the Returning Officer’s decision, applicants are encouraged to include a medical certificate from a Registered Medical Practitioner (Western or Indigenous), confirming that they are unable to travel by foot or by public transport to the polling station, the statement said.

When a request is made to a Government Medical Officer, Registered, or Assistant Medical Practitioner for examination and a Medical Certificate, the certificate should be issued free of charge. If the certificate is issued by a Private Medical Practitioner (Western or Indigenous), it should include the practitioner’s name and registration number.

If the individual holds a Temporary Disabled Identity Card, valid for 10 years, issued by the Election Commission for persons with disabilities, a photocopy of this identity card, instead of a medical report, will be sufficient to confirm the physical disability, it added.