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First-time voters brimming with hope and enthusiasm
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By Kevin Alwis
As the presidential election unfolded one of the most enthusiastic groups were the first-time voters.
Election Commission Chairman R. M. A. L. Ratnayake said 76,000 voters who were over 18 years old were able to register for this year’s election.
Jason Steve is a young university student who voted for the first time. He said, “As a young citizen I think it’s a great privilege and opportunity to be part of the country’s decision-making process, where I believe young people bring a new perspective and value to the whole voting system and its result.
“Even though I don’t know much about the country’s political history, based on the recent history and political narration I was able to make my decision and I think my vote will have an impact on the outcome of this election,” he said.
Charith Ishara, an undergraduate from the University of Moratuwa, who was eligible to vote this time around said, “To be honest I didn’t have a proper idea about this whole narration of voting and politics but the influence of social media and family background helped me understand this whole landscape of politics and heavily influenced my final decision.”
“I felt the political system of the country needed to be changed especially after the aragalaya in 2022, and I waited keenly ever since to use my vote to be a part of making a difference in the country,” he said.
Tharaniya Rajarathnam, a student at the Sri Lanka College of Journalism said that she was extremely excited and overjoyed to be able to use her vote for the first time in her life, especially during this year’s presidential election. What she wants is a better future for the country.
Pasan Saranga a 23-year-old mass media undergraduate, from Sri Palee Campus, University of Colombo is a very enthusiastic young voter and he expects his vote to bring a bright and better future for the country.
“I think our generation had identified a need for a change for the better in this country’s political narrative and I went to cast my vote in this election for the very first time holding onto that thought,” he said.
“What I anticipate from this election is a platform for us as young voters to achieve dreams such as buying a house, owning a vehicle or getting into a good job and I do believe my vote will be useful to select the most appropriate candidate to lead our country to that goal.”
Dinushkar Premkumar, another new voter from Nuwara Eliya shared his first voting experience. “I did my fair share of research before I made my decision on whom to vote in this year’s presidential election. I attended rallies and meetings held by different candidates to see what they had to say about the way forward and studied their manifestos to get an insight on how to vote.”
He expects a new system that would give equal rights to everyone he said.
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