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Polls Dept. survey to verify lists
By N.Dilshath Banu
The Elections Department is due to carry out a house-to-house survey to verify its electoral registers after many people who went to vote at the recently concluded Presidential election complained their names had been deleted.

Elections Deputy Commissioner W.P. Sumanasiri said that discussions have already been conducted with the Census and Statistics Department to conduct the verification.

“We will be seeking guidance from the Census and Statistics Department to simplify the process of enumeration and enlist the eligible voters in the electoral register” he said.

Census and Statistics Department Director General A.G.W Nanayakkara said his officials would help the Elections Department by providing it with technical advice on how a census is conducted, though they would not be physically involved in the process.

“We have three main stages in a census. First is house-to-house visiting and listing the names of the people. Next, is a detailed survey of those people. Finally, we would verify whether these people were actually living at the given addresses. It is on these guidelines that we would be advising the Elections Department,” he said.

The meeting between Elections and Census and Statistics Department officials is scheduled to be held on Friday. The house-to house survey is to be conducted after the display of the electoral registers at District and Divisional Secretariats, post offices and grama niladhari offices.

“The electoral registers with the Deleted and the New Inclusion lists will be displayed from January 3 till January 31. Those who wish to make claims can do so within the four weeks,” Assistant Elections Commissioner Rasika Peries said.

During the Presidential Election in 2005, many people were disappointed when they didn’t receive their polling cards. Some who went to the polling booth on election day with their identity cards found their names were not in the electoral register.

“Many people do not know when the enumeration process begins and how they could make a claim in due time when their names are not included in the register,” Mr. Peries said.

The enumeration process starts in June with the grama niladharis going from house to house and delivering the forms which the chief householder has to fill and sign. Within a month the grama niladhari collects the forms, prepares the Deleted and the New Inclusion lists and send them with the completed forms to the Assistant Elections Commissioners.

During November/December, the electoral register with the Deleted and the New Inclusion lists will be displayed at District and Divisional Secretariats, post offices and grama niladhari offices so that people will be able to raise objections if their names have not been included.

As the Presidential elections were in November, the display of electoral registers was postponed for this month for people to examine them.
“You can object if your name is not in the electoral register or in the new inclusion list and if it is in the deleted list. You can also object on behalf of another person. Most of the time the latter will be done by relatives or people who know the person,” Mr.Peries said

He added that one can object if his/her name is registered at a different address or under a different name or if another person’s name is registered at one’s address. Once the claims are sent they will be verified and displayed for two weeks.

“Those who send their claims within the last two weeks will have their claims displayed for an additional two weeks. Thus the whole process will end in the second week of February,” Mr. Peries said.

“The claims and objections should be made on a form which could be obtained at all the places where the electoral registers are being displayed. The forms should be filled and sent to the Assistant Election Commissioners of the relevant district,” he said.

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