Full stop to multiple registration

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

Legal action will be taken against voters whose names appear more than once in the national electoral register, Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said.

“We will take firm action against multiple registrations,” the Commissioner said. He said around 500 voters have been identified by the Election Department whose names appear in the electoral register more than once. “These persons are advised to delete excess entrees from the electoral registers since a person is eligible to enter his or her details in the electoral registers only in one instance based on the general residency.

One may have more than one residence in different locations. Even then, such persons are not allowed to make multiple registrations in electoral registers as it is illegal according to election regulations,” the Commissioner said. It has been observed that several people make multiple registrations deliberately to receive certain gains such as address verification for school admissions, proof of an ownership of a property and so on. A revision of electoral registers is being carried out from June 1 to July 15.

The Commissioner advised eligible voters to enter their details in the relevant form when the revision is carried out. “No one should make multiple registration,” he said. A form of the electoral register will be distributed to every household by a Grama Niladhari from June 1 to July 15.

The forms will be collected by the Grama Niladari from every household from July 15 to August 15. If any household has not received a form, the Grama Niladari should be informed. The Grama Niladari will contact the Election Department, Rajagiriya. However, if any household has not received a form of the revision of the electoral registers, a form can be downloaded by logging in to the Election Department website (www.slelections.gov.lk). The completed form should be sent to the Election Department, Rajagiriya through the Grama Niladari.