Returning Officers to receive ballot papers on March 17

Ballot papers for the postal voters at the Parliamentary Election of April 8, 2010 will be issued to the respective Returning Officers on March 17, Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said in a press release yesterday.

Accordingly, the security/insured packets of ballot papers will be received by the Returning Officers in the next few days and Returning Officers are instructed to ensure the safety of all security packets received in their offices and to ensure that these packets are held in safe custody in the respective offices, the Commissioner's press release stated. The dates for postal voting has been fixed on 25 and 26. 03. 2010 and the Returning Officers are directed to call the postal voters and afford them the opportunity of exercising their secret ballot.

And it is the duty of the respective Returning Officers to post the sealed ballot paper packets under insured/security mail to the respective District Returning Officers, the Commissioner's instructions stated.

No insured security packet of ballot papers should be opened by the Returning Officers unless in the presence of the the relevant postal voter.