• Causing factors range from lack of trust in the system, doubts about the chances of preferred parties, social media influence, misleading surveys, and political disillusionment

In the recent Parliamentary General Election, the voter turnout dropped significantly compared to the Presidential Election earlier in 2024. While 79% of eligible voters participated in voting at the Presidential race, only 69% cast their ballots in the Parliamentary Election, resulting in over five million eligible voters abstaining. Reasons for this decline include a lack of trust in the system and doubts about the chances of their preferred parties. While some voters felt that their vote would not change the outcome, others believed that their party would win without their participation. This issue highlights how social media influence, misleading surveys, and general political disillusionment may discourage citizens from exercising their fundamental right to vote.

The Election Commission (EC) stated that out of 17,140,354 eligible voters in the Parliamentary Election, 11,815,246 (68.93%) cast their votes, while 5,325,108 (31.07%) voters abstained. Earlier, in the Presidential Election, out of 17,140,354 registered voters, a total of 13,619,916 (79.46%) cast their votes, while 3,520,438 (21.54%) did not.

Exercising the power of voting, also known as the franchise, is one of the most important rights and responsibilities of citizens in democracy. It allows individuals to have a direct influence on their government and the decisions that affect their lives. When citizens vote, they help determine which leaders will represent them and what policies will be implemented. This power is vital because it ensures that the government remains accountable to the people, standing for their needs and desires. Without participation in elections, citizens risk allowing only a small, unrepresentative group to make decisions for the entire population. In many countries, voting rights have been hard-won through struggles for equality and justice. As a result, choosing not to vote can be seen as taking that hard-earned right for granted and undermining the democratic process.

A 30-year-old from Dambulla, Indika Prabhath, speaking to The Daily Morning, shared his reasons for not voting in the recent Parliamentary Election. He feels that no government has addressed the issues that his community faces, particularly the wild elephant problem that has affected local lives for years. “I’ve lived in Dambulla for 30 years, and since childhood, I’ve seen problems like the wild elephant issue affecting local lives. Many governments, Presidents, and Parliamentarians have come and gone, but no one has offered a lasting solution to these issues.” He said that he recognised that voting is a fundamental right for every eligible citizen and understood that not voting might be viewed as wrong. However, he believes that politicians should primarily focus on solving the problems of the people who elect them and make their lives better. “Why should we put in the effort to vote if they’re not going to make a difference?” Although he chose not to vote, he does not hold any negative views about others who participate in elections. He runs a carpentry business from home and feels that taking time off work to vote for politicians who, in his opinion, will not serve the people’s best interests, is not worth it.

Another resident from the Sooriyakanda area in the Ratnapura District, who wished to remain anonymous, said that he supports the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), which became the main Parliamentary Opposition Party in the Parliamentary General Election. However, he said that he did not cast his vote, feeling that the National People’s Power (NPP) was likely to win anyway. “I voted in the Presidential Election, but after NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake became the President, it seemed obvious, especially on social media platforms, that his party would dominate the Parliamentary Election,” he explained. He felt that his vote would not make a difference, and that was the main reason he chose not to visit the polling station and cast his vote. He said that his choice not to vote was a personal decision, adding that he has no plans to abstain from future elections necessarily. Since the party he would have voted for lost anyway, he believes that his decision did not really have any negative impact.

Social media propaganda and surveys can sometimes discourage people from voting in elections. These platforms, in most cases, spread biassed information or predictions that may influence public opinion, making people feel that their vote will not make a difference or that the electoral outcome is already decided. Surveys, especially those with misleading results, can create a sense of inevitability, leading users to believe that voting is pointless. This can de-motivate potential voters, especially when they see a particular candidate or a party as already winning, based on polls or social media trends. As a result, some people might decide not to vote, feeling that their participation will not impact the election’s outcome.

Certain voters did not cast their vote, because they thought that their preferred party would lose, while others did not because they believed that their party would win. One such voter from Godagama in Homagama, who chose not to share her full name, is N. Rajapakse. She has supported the NPP since 2019 and felt confident that they would win the Parliamentary Election of this year. She said that one of the reasons for her absenteeism in the Election was that in the last Presidential Election, President Dissanayake won the Homagama electorate with a whopping number of votes. “In the Presidential Election, Dissanayake won the Homagama electorate with more than 60,000 votes. Many people said that the NPP would definitely win in the Parliamentary Election too. I was under the impression that they would win whether I cast my vote or not. Since I had a long holiday with the election date, I visited one of my relatives who is living far away.” As she expected, the NPP won the Parliamentary Election in a landslide. She added that she would have felt guilty for not voting if the NPP had lost, but since they won, she felt no reason to regret her decision.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, the EC Chairperson, R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that they did their best to encourage citizens to visit polling stations and cast their votes in both the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections. “Prior to the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, we requested the people to cast their votes through the media. On 14 November, I made statements at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and spoke about the importance of voting, and urged everyone eligible to vote. What else can we do? There is nothing more we can do to get the people to vote. We did everything possible.” Claiming that encouraging citizens to cast their vote is not a responsibility of the EC, he said that it is something that political parties and their representatives at regional levels should do. “What we are supposed to do is to hold elections. Getting people to vote is not our duty. But, we do whatever possible to encourage voters. Every political party has their representatives at polling stations. They know whether the voter turnover is low or high. When voter absenteeism is high, there should be a programme in place within political parties to encourage their supporters to cast their vote.”

The Daily Morning also spoke to a Government official involved in election duties in the Ratnapura District. According to him, there was a noticeable shift in voting patterns during the Parliamentary Election compared to the Presidential Election. Specifically, he has observed a significant increase in the number of votes for the NPP, while support for other political parties, especially the SJB, decreased. “I noticed at a glance that the supporters of other political parties, except the NPP, voted much less. It’s very clear from the results. For example, in one electorate, the SJB had received 17,000 votes in the Presidential Election, but only 7,000 votes in the Parliamentary Election. This means that roughly 10,000 people didn’t cast their vote.” He further said that the Government spends billions of public money to hold elections, and that it is hard to justify the fact that many people do not exercise their right to vote. “Even though we work day and night on election duties, it feels like our efforts are in vain when people choose not to vote,” he added.