The Cabinet has approved the removal of the legal requirement to apply indelible ink on voters’ fingers during elections in Sri Lanka. The decision will be implemented through amendments to the relevant election laws. Sri Lanka Latest News
This decision was made based on a proposal submitted by the President.
Under the current election laws, voters have been required since 2004 to verify their identity using a valid identity card and to have their finger marked with indelible ink at every election.
Both of these measures were originally introduced to prevent fraudulent voting and multiple voting.
However, it has been observed that the simultaneous use of these two verification methods (ID card checking and indelible ink marking) has reduced the efficiency of operations at polling stations.
In addition, the Government has noted that a significant additional cost is incurred in conducting elections, and therefore it has been decided that removing the legal provision on indelible ink is appropriate.
Accordingly, steps will be taken to amend the relevant sections of the following Acts and Ordinances to remove the requirement for indelible ink:
- Presidential Elections – Section 36 of the Election of the President Act No. 15 of 1981
- General Elections – Section 38 of the Parliamentary Elections Act No. 1 of 1981
- Provincial Council Elections – Section 36 of the Provincial Council Elections Act No. 2 of 1988
- Local Government Elections – Section 53A of the Local Government Elections Ordinance (Chapter 262)
- Referendums – Section 21 of the Referendum Act No. 7 of 1981
