Analysis: Voter turnout lowest in Parliamentary Elections since 2010

Sharp drop compared to September 21 - Presidential Polls voter turnout of 79.4

By Miriam Alphonsus & Tharushi Weerasinghe

With this year’s voter turnout at Parliamentary polls around 65 per cent,  the recently concluded polls recorded the lowest turnout since the 2010 Parliamentary Elections. 

This is the first time in fourteen years that voter turnout in a Presidential or Parliamentary polls dipped below 70 per cent. 

The 2020 and 2015 parliamentary elections had a turnout of 76 per cent and 78 per cent, respectively. 

Today’s polls also saw a sharp decline in voter turnout compared to the recently held September 21 -Presidential elections, where voter turnout stood at 79 per cent. 

Hambantota, Puttalam, Monaragala, and Gampaha districts saw the steepest voter turnout decline compared to early this year’s Presidential polls. 

 As polling comes to a close, the Timesonline visited public spaces across Colombo to speak to people about their thoughts on this election. Those who could not vote had reasons centred around being unable to afford the time off to travel far to their residential areas and vote.

“I did not vote because the bus back home is too expensive,” said R. Yogeswaran, a 53-year-old cleaner in the Galle Face Green area. His vote is registered in Badulla, and the bus ticket costs him about Rs.3600. “I am a daily wage earner, so that was difficult to afford even though it makes me sad that I could not vote this time,” he said. 

Mohammad Shiham                            R. Yogeswaran

“There needs to be a mechanism through which those who work far from their registered areas can vote remotely,” said Mohammed Shiham, a 43-year-old tour guide. He claims that taking a day off to go and vote during tourist seasons costs him a lot of business.

“As guides, we are in different parts of the country during elections, so a system that allows people like us who work in tourism to vote without having to go hundreds of kilometres back and lose out on their bread and butter is essential,” he insisted. He felt that a fundamental right, like the right to vote, needs to be facilitated for all citizens at the lowest cost possible.