News
Push to get eligible voters registered
As the deadline nears for the handing over of forms to Grama Niladaris for the revision of the electoral register before next Saturday (July 30), officials have stepped up a campaign to get people to register so that they can vote in elections. A household that fails to submit forms to the local authority by July 30 will have to take the paperwork to the district elections office. If the forms have not been handed over even by August 31 the unregistered individual would not be able to cast their vote at an election. “In order to exercise their vote it is mandatory for the person’s name to be included in the electoral register. Apart from not being able to vote the unregistered person will also face other difficulties,” Additional Commissioner of the Election Commission M.M Mohamed warned.
Mr. Mohamed pointed out that according to the Electoral Register Act No. 44 of 1980, from June 1 each year the Elections Commission revises voter lists by collecting details from houses through enumerators. Special enumerators are appointed for this work in the metropolitan areas such as Colombo and the Negombo Municipal Council Areas, where the compilation of lists is complicated. All citizens above the age of 18 can be registered as voters. Tenants can enter their name with the address of the leased house, he said. Anyone who has attained the age of 18 before June 1 this year can apply. If there is a change of address people have to submit their new and old addresses. Mr. Mohamed said while most people were eager to register most of the “luxury households”, especially in Colombo, were not enthusiastic.
He explained that when the Grama Niladaris try to hand over forms to such households, in most instances they are barred by personal security officers, and while some of these security officers take the forms, sometimes the papers were not handed over to the resident. Any tenant is eligible to register to vote, giving the rented property as his or her address, Mr. Mohamed said. He said about 50,000 rented households had not registered because of the disapproval of their landlords. “These landlords are reluctant because they think that if they allow their tenants to register as voters, the tenants might have a claim on the house ownership,” Mr. Mohamed said. The Elections Commission explained that after all the forms are collected, the commission would prepare separate lists: List A and List B.
List A will include all the names that will be deleted from the operative register. These include the names of those deceased and any voter who has left the Grama Niladari division. Also, any names recommended for deletion by the Grama Niladari, will be included in the A list. The B list would be similar but would also contain the names to be included in the revised register on account of reasons such as turning 18 or moving to a new Grama Niladari division. Both lists will be sent to all District Secretariats, District Election Offices, Divisional Secretariats, Grama Niladhari offices and all local authorities, to be placed on public display. On scrutiny of these lists a person could decide whether or not to enter his or her name onto the electoral register for the next year. An individual who finds his or her name has been deleted can submit a claim to be re-registered.
A period of 28 days will be allowed for such submissions (September 1 to September 28), Upon receipt of a submission an inquiry will be held with the claimant required to come to the District Secretary’s office together with the local Grama Niladari. Objections may be submitted by anyone who thinks that someone disqualified to vote is going to be on the register. A formal inquiry will ensue. After all inquiries, the amended register is then rechecked and the “Draft Register” is exhibited at District Elections Offices, Grama Niladhari offices and on the website of the Elections Commission a week prior to the prescribed date for the certification of the electoral register. The Elections Commission has sought the support of election monitoring groups and others to help in the campaign to get people to register to vote.