24 August 2024 12:00 am Views - 81
By Kelum Bandara
Only ballot boxes made of cardboard will be used at the presidential poll on September 21, instead of traditional wooden boxes, and the election authorities are currently in the process of making them, an official said.
Ballot boxes will be made in small, medium and large sizes to be dispatched to polling stations depending on the number of registered voters with each.
The official who wished to remain anonymous said that only cardboard boxes were used at the 2019 presidential poll. At the 2020 General Elections, both wooden and cardboard boxes were used. “We will use only cardboard boxes this time,” he said. Asked whether Rs.10 billion announced in the 2024 budget would be enough for the conduct of the elections, he said there are plans to spend only Rs.8 billion. “When hiring vehicles from state institutions, we will accept vehicles in good condition only.
We cannot pay for their repairs otherwise during the elections. Earlier, various state institutions were sending us vehicles needing repairs. Then, we had to repair them at our cost and use for election-related duties. We won’t do it this time,” he said.
Asked about ink to be used for indelible marks on voters’ fingers, he said sufficient stocks would be secured this time from a local supplier instead of importing them.
“We had a local supplier last time too. Before that, we used to secure indelible ink from a foreign supplier,” he said.
Besides, the Election Commission was to hand over ballot papers for postal voting yesterday. They will be posted to respective supervising officers on Monday to conduct postal voting.