Postal ballot papers handed over to post offices today

COLOMBO (News 1st):- The postal ballot papers of the Presidential elections will be handed over to post offices around the country today (October 18). Commissioner-General of the National Elections Commission, Saman Sri Ekanayake states that thereby a total of 659,514 postal ballot papers will be handed over to the post offices. Post-Master General Ranjith Ariyaratne says that a special mechanism will be in effect from tomorrow (October 19) in order to take the postal ballot papers to the polling centres. Meanwhile, Police media spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara states that a special security mechanism will be in effect around post offices within the time period of distributing the postal ballot papers to the general public. The process of counting the postal votes for the Presidential election this year will take place under two stages. Thereby all postal voters of state institutions and the military will be provided with the opportunity to mark their vote from the 31st of this month to November 1st. Further, all district secretariats, election offices and the police have been granted the opportunity on November 4th. For all those who are unable to place their postal votes on these days, they will be allowed to come in and place their votes on November 7th at the nearest district election office.