EC issues guidelines for valid marking of votes in general election

The marking of postal votes for the upcoming General Election 2024 entered its third day today (04), after commencing on October 30.

According to the Election Commission, voters from the three armed forces and other government institutions who were unable to mark their postal votes on October 30 and November 01 have been given the opportunity to do so today.

The Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Rathnayake announced that postal voters who are still unable to cast their votes on the designated days will be permitted to vote at the District Secretariat corresponding to their workplace on November 07 and 08.

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 for both voting and indicating candidate preferences.