EC to track down public officers who shared photos of marked ballot paper

The Election Commission (EC) says it will track down state employees who had shared photographs of their marked ballot paper on social media, as postal voting began today (Oct 31).

EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya told a news conference, that such officers, if found guilty could be subjected to three years in prison.

Postal voting for state sector employees will take place today and tomorrow. Accordingly, the polls chief advised against engaging in such activities.

Meanwhile, the EC has decided to use special cardboard ballot boxes as this year's two-feet long ballot paper, would require more wooden ballot boxes used in previous elections, to be prepared at a higher cost.

A record 35 candidates will contest the presidential election on November 16.

Accordingly, a senior official EC official told Times Online that more than 12,000 boxes would be prepared at a cost of Rs 15 million in three sizes.

He explained that 1150 boxes which can hold 1,200 ballot papers, 8,000 boxes which can hold 1600 ballot papers, and 3000 boxes which can hold more than 1600 ballot papers would be used for the election.

(Additional reporting by Damith Wickramasekara. Pix by Priyanka Samaraweera)