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You can vote as soon as you reach 18
Youth reaching the age of 18 will be able to include their names in the electoral register as soon as they reach the eligible age for voting as the register will be updated thrice a year instead of once a year.
A Bill to this effect has already been submitted by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to Parliament.
Accordingly, more people will be eligible to vote in future elections.
The bill, which seeks to amend the Registration of Electors Act No 44 of 1980 will enable any person who reaches the age of 18 to register as a voter during the time frames of February 1-May 31, June 1-September 30 and October 1-January 31. This could be done at their respective district Election Office within two weeks of the person reaching the age of eighteen. Needed for registration will be a copy of the birth certificate or the National Identity Card.
Accordingly, in every electoral district, the Registering Officer will be mandated to prepare supplementary lists after these time frames and make the list available for public inspection within two weeks. This will be followed by the publication of the list in the Government Gazette in three languages. Those who claim to have a right to have their names included in a supplementary list may apply to the Registering Officer to have their name sincluded in that list within ten days, the bill states.
Any objections would need to be made within ten days by writing to the Registering Officer.
“The supplementary lists of persons attained the age of eighteen years on the date of the proclamation of any election shall be published in the Gazette and the Register of Electors incorporated in the said supplementary lists shall be deemed as the Register of Electors at such election,” the bill says.