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Pre-register voters from birth, monitors now urge
Election monitors are calling for an automated system in which youth who reach 18 years of age would be automatically registered as voters and notified of the fact.
The call came after monitors and young people welcomed an amendment to the Registration of Electors Act that will allow persons to apply for voter registration immediately upon reaching the age of 18 without having to wait until June 1 every year when the Elections Commission updates the electoral roll.
The amendment would allow more people who reached the age of 18 to vote and participate in elections, the Executive Director of the Peoples Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), Rohana Hettiarachchi, said.
Under the previous system, for example, if an election was held in November, people who had been registered as voters between June and November would not be allowed to vote because their names had not been added to the electoral roll and would only be added on June 1 the following year, Mr. Hettiarachchi explained, adding, “With the new system, however, this problem would be greatly reduced”.
Going further, Mr. Hettiarachchi urged the need for a registry system where people are registered as a potential voter at birth, allowing them to vote when they reach the age requirement without having to request registration.
This call was backed by the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), whose National Coordinator, Manjula Gajanayake, said the amendment to the Registration of Electors Act was long overdue.
Mr. Gajanayake said, on average, around 250,000 youths were unable to vote in elections in any year under the previous system because they had not been registered before the annual June 1 electoral roll update.
To carry out an automated voter registration system, coordinated action by the office of the registrar of Birth and Deaths, the Elections Commission and other government bodies was needed, Mr. Gajanayake said, pointing out that plans to digitise the National Identity Card had not yet materialised.
The Chairman of the Elections Commission, Nimal Punchihewa, said youth who had turned 18 years of age by 1 February 2022 could be registered straightaway as voters, and those reaching voting age after that would be registered on separate rolls that would be amalgamated with the main electoral roll every three months.
“The Commission has been working on the proposal for some time in order to get the maximum out of the system. I think it is an excellent move and I am very happy to see the Commission taking the opportunity to implement the new system. I hope to see more improvements in the future,” the former chairman of the Elections Commission, Mahinda Deshapriya, told the Sunday Times.
He said the plan was to create a supplementary database list of people over 15 years of age. “That would increase the efficacy of sending an automated message when one turns 18 that reads ‘Congratulations, you are now eligible to vote’.
“A vote is your right, your voice, your future and so should be your strength. I hope the youth of today will have mutual feelings about the system and so gain more confidence in getting proactively involved in the democratic process of the country,” Mr. Deshapriya said.
Young people welcomed the move to expedite their entry into the political process.
Joshua Weerasingham, 18, Colombo: “This is empowering. As they say, the ballot is mightier than the bullet. Universal suffrage is something for which many have sacrificed their lives, and I do not intend to take it lightly. Youth representation would add an additional level of pertinence to elections. It is of utmost importance due to the generational differences in mindset.”
R.I. Deen, 17, Colombo: “This proposal is wonderful in two ways: the first being increased efficacy of the system, which increases my confidence as a future voter, and the second being that my value as a citizen is being recognised. This has given me an incentive to learn more about politics.”
Stephanie Sanchya Rajendram, 19, Batticaloa: “As someone fresh out of school, voting would be my main duty to my country. Youth representation is important, especially if a candidate has proper grounding. In our student elections at school, not many understood the importance of voting or how to be a candidate, leading to voter turnout of only 60 per cent. A well-groomed youth candidate would be one of the best things one could ask for.”
T. Weerasinghe, 19, Colombo: “Voting is my right. There are times when I question the relevance of an older candidate’s ideas with respect to my opinions. The digital system a step forward in that aspect and has sparked more interest on my side.”
Eric Shewon, 19, Batticaloa: “To be able to vote is not only my constitutional right but also my responsibility to fulfil, and I am excited and honoured to do so.”
Chethana Paulis, 20, Colombo: “My emotions are mixed. I am excited as much as I am nervous about the responsibility of voting for a leader for our country. It is as empowering as it is worrying.”
S. Wanigasekera, 19, Colombo: “This new proposal is fairer because citizens would be given the chance to vote for the first time closer to 18 years of age, as intended, than to 20 years.”