Sri Lanka Prez Poll: Here’s How to Properly Cast Your Vote

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Election Commission has released detailed guidelines for voters participating in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for September 21, 2024. 

With more than three candidates contesting, voters will have the opportunity to mark their first preference for one candidate and indicate their second and third preferences for two additional candidates.

To cast a vote, voters should place the number 1 in the box next to the name and symbol of their preferred candidate. 

They may then mark 2 and 3 for their second and third preferences, respectively. 

The Commission clarified that a ballot will still be considered valid if it contains a properly marked vote for one candidate, even if the second and third preferences are not marked.

The Commission provided visual examples to illustrate the correct way to mark the ballot. It also emphasized that any mark clearly indicating the voter's intention, such as an X, will be counted as a vote for the selected candidate.

However, the Commission warned that ballots would be rejected if they contain any writing or marks that could identify the voter, or if they are marked in any of the following ways:

- No vote marked for any candidate
- A vote marked for more than one candidate
- Marking 1 for one candidate and X for another
- Only the second or third preference marked without a first preference
- Preferences marked with 2 and 3 using a mark other than 1
- More votes and preferences marked than 1, 2, 3