Revised electoral register from this month

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

All eligible voters are duty bound to enter their details in the electoral register when a revision of the Electoral Registers 2012 is carried out from June 1 to July 15, Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said. The Commissioner said Sri Lanka is a country, where a revision of electoral registers is carried out annually.

“Accordingly, a form to furnish details for compiling the electoral register will be distributed to every household by a Grama Niladhari from June 1 to July 15. They will be collected by the Grama Niladhari by calling over at every household from July 15 to August 15,” he said.

If a household has not received a form, the Grama Niladhari should be contacted, and the latter will then contact the Elections Department, Rajagiriya. Every citizen should have his or her name in the electoral register to be eligible to vote at the next election, Deshapriya said.

He said to qualify to be an elector, one has to be a citizen; be 18 years on the qualifying date; and/or is not or has served a sentence of imprisonment for a term not less than six months, during the period of seven years immediately preceding.

Citizens in foreign countries are advised to enter their passport numbers when filling the electoral registers revision form. Persons having foreign passports and not a valid local passport are not eligible to enter names in the form. It has been noticed certain persons engage in multiple registrations which is against the law. Legal action will be taken against persons who have multiple registrations. Residents in rented / leased houses are eligible to enter their names in the electoral registration forms provided it is their general residences, the Commissioner said.