Elections Commissioner rejected 300,000 postal votes

The cabinet approval requesting the Elections Commissions to provide postal voting facilities for workers in the health service has been rejected by the Commissioner of Elections, its official said.

The country had experienced number of elections in the recent past and
at a time a parliamentary election is being scheduled it is unbecoming
and against the election law to make such request from the Elections
Commissions. Therefore, all Additional Election Commissioners are have
been enlighten on this matter, a top official said.

The cabinet has no right to make laws and demand in this direction to
the Election Commission and if we allowed do so we have to make
provisions for more than 300,000 additional postal votes at the
election. The Election Commission cannot give approval for such a big
number at this moment, Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayaka
said.

The postal voting is normally granting for officers s who are going to
be involved in the election duty and persons engaged in essential
services. Therefore, members of the minor staff in the health sector
cannot give approve for postal voting at the coming election, Mr
Dissanayake said.