Voters at quarantine centres may lose chance of voting

By Kelum Bandara

Voters who are at the quarantine centres are likely to lose the opportunity to cast their ballots at the general election on August 5 due to the absence of legal provisions to arrange advance voting for them, an official said yesterday.   

The Election Commission has already revoked its previous decision to conduct polling for them on July 31 since the law does not provide for it.   

Asked about the latest situation, its chairman Mahinda Deshapriya told Daily Mirror polling would not be taken at the quarantine centres most probably. However, he said the final decision about such voters would be taken at the Commission’s meeting scheduled for August 1.  

“We will not take polling at the quarantine centres,” he said. 

 
He said it would be less than 500 voters living at the quarantine centres at the moment. However, he said separate arrangements would be made for those under self-quarantine for casting their ballots on the day of polling at special booths.   

• We will not take polling at the quarantine centres