Why make polls registration and identity mandatory for voting?
Wednesday, 3 December 2014 00:00
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By Bernard Fernando
The need to have one’s name registered in the current polls register and be the holder of a valid Identity card have been made compulsory for voting purposes at the forthcoming elections. Apparently, these two requirements are imposed to prevent voting by a non-citizen and/or the same person voting for a second time or more (impersonation) at the same election.
If that is the case, the perfect answer is already there in the ‘finger painting method’. It is only a matter of improving the quality of the so-called ‘indelible ink’ so that the mark cannot be removed at least within the next nine hours. Impersonation during polling time can be totally eliminated by this method. Furthermore, not many voters will even attempt to erase the ink marking solely for impersonation purposes.
The question arises as to why a genuine citizen over 18 years of age who cannot meet these two requirements, should be prevented from voting when the stubborn fact is that Sri Lanka has witnessed an average polling percentage of less than 75% over the years.
From the inception of voting in Sri Lanka, it is evident that the unpolled number of votes can surely lead to a reversal of the final outcome in an election. For example, at the last presidential election in 2010, it was found that the majority obtained by the winner was 1,842,749 while the number of registered voters who did not cast their vote remained at an astounding 3,593,049. It is true that the unpolled number included those employed abroad, other non-residents, patients, disabled and those not holding valid IDs. However, the fact that a substantial number of voters were prevented from voting purely due to non-registration in the polls register makes the matter worse.
Shouldn’t this scenario spur the election officials to find ways and means to make the electorate cast their vote in higher numbers as much as possible? In countries like Australia, voting at an election is compulsory. In democratic Sri Lanka, they discourage people from voting by showing them the rulebook and casting blame on the voter. Should it be the case?
In simple terms, what is required on an election day between 7.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. is to ensure the legitimacy of the votes cast by preventing impersonators, foreigners (non-citizens) and those persons below 18 years of age from voting as citizens of Sri Lanka.
Firstly, impersonation is sealed by the application of ‘indelible Ink’ limiting any person in Sri Lanka to vote anywhere in Sri Lanka only once during an election day. Next, Simple identification on the basis of appearance, accent, the language spoken and identification by the local polling agents can ensure that a person is not a foreigner.
If a person is likely to be below 18 years of age, the officials can exercise more caution by calling for a valid identity card carrying the date of birth. After all, the objective is to get more citizens to vote at an election and ensure a free and fair election.
The writer does not wish to analyse the happenings from 4.00 p.m. onwards till the election results are announced due to space and other constraints. However, it is sufficient to mention that the poll boxes are made tamperproof and counting centres are allowed to be adequately manned by polling agents and the candidates from the respective parties. The writer is unable to comment on the technological aspects of the counting process though it is a critical parameter.
Finally, it needs to be pointed out that with the dawn of law and order in the North and East, the authorities can now carry out the national census with more regularity. All the information required for polling matters can be elicited by the Commissioner of Elections from this comprehensive database as and when necessary. Thus, at a time where even citizenship is no more an issue and that elections are not held annually, it may not even be necessary to collect voter data annually.
By adopting this method, we can save millions of rupees and time spent on laborious, annual data collection for polls registers.
We sincerely hope that this matter will catch the eye of the authorities so that they take meaningful steps to cut down on wastage of time and manpower when conducting future elections.
