• Voting from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 13,421 polling stations 
• Post offices open tmrw as 300,000 official ballot papers uncollected 
• Voters asked to bring polling card & valid NIC/driver’s licence/passport/elderly ID card/pensioner’s ID card/clergy ID card/temporary ID card for the disabled/temp. ID via GNs
• If no preferences mark ‘X’ or ‘1’ to vote; if indicating preferences mark ‘1’ & ‘2’ or ‘1’ & ‘2’ & ‘3’

The voting for the Presidential Poll to elect the ninth Executive President of Sri Lanka is scheduled to be held tomorrow (21). The Election Commission (EC) stated that voting will take place in 13,421 polling stations from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The election campaigning activities related to the Presidential Election concluded on Wednesday (18) midnight, and the period up to the time of the Presidential Election has been declared as a silent period. The EC said that all election campaigning activities are strictly prohibited during this period, while the Police has the authority to arrest any individuals who violate the election laws.

The Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake said that all the necessary initial preparations for the Election have been already planned. 

With regard to what voters should take with them when visiting the polling stations, he explained that the polling card and a valid national identity (ID) card (NIC), or a valid driver’s licence, or a valid passport, or an elderly ID card issued by the Department of Social Services, or a pensioner’s ID card issued by the Department of Pensions can be used to cast their votes. He further added that the ID card issued to the clergy is also acceptable, as is the temporary ID card which has been specifically issued for the disabled community. For those who do not have any of these, the temporary ID issued by the EC through the Grama Niladhari (GN) officers is also permitted to be used for voting.

In this year’s (2024) Presidential Election, voters can indicate their preferences for candidates of their choice. A total of 38 candidates are in the running for the post of the first citizen of the land.

Ratnayake explained how the vote should be marked: “If someone wants to use their vote, they can use the ‘X’ mark to cast their vote. Similar to previous elections, the ‘X’ mark will be accepted by the EC. In addition, the Arabic numeral ‘1’ is also valid for marking the vote. Those wishing to indicate preferences, they can mark their first choice with the Arabic numeral ‘1’ and their second choice with the Arabic numeral ‘2’. To express all three preferences, voters must use Arabic numerals ‘1’, ‘2’, and ‘3’ and any other markings will be considered invalid.”

Meanwhile, the Postal Department has announced that post offices will be open tomorrow for individuals who have not yet received their official ballot papers. Postmaster General Ruwan Sathkumara noted that around 300,000 official ballot papers still remain in the post offices across the country.