Guidelines for valid marking of votes in general election

The marking of postal votes for the upcoming General Election 2024 entered its third day, after commencing on Oct. 30.

According to the Election Commission, voters from the three armed forces and other government institutions who could not mark their postal votes on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 have been allowed to do so Monday.

The Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Rathnayake announced that postal voters who cannot vote on the designated days will be permitted to vote at the District Secretariat corresponding to their workplace on Nov. 07 and 8.

The Election Commission has also issued guidelines on the proper voting and preference-marking procedure.

Each voter has one vote, which can be cast for a recognized political party or an independent group.

To do so, an ‘x’ mark should be placed in front of the chosen political party’s symbol or in the space before the number and symbol of the independent group.

Additionally, voters may express their preference for up to three candidates nominated by the selected party or group by placing an ‘x’ in the space containing the number assigned to each candidate at the end of the ballot paper.

The Election Commission clarified that any ballot showing votes for multiple political parties or independent groups or containing identifiable marks other than the specified ‘x’ will be considered invalid.

The announcement also emphasized that only an ‘x’ mark should be used to vote and indicate candidate preferences.