Grant postal voting rights to private sector workers - CaFFE

Colombo (News 1st) - The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), has called on the National Elections Commission to expand postal voting to cover private-sector workers. In a letter to the Commission, CaFFE Executive Director Manas Makeen has highlighted that people have less enthusiasm to cast their votes when it comes to General, provincial and local government elections, in comparison to the Presidential election. Makeen states that because of this, persons employed as private-sector workers in jobs that can be classified as essential services tend not to return to their homes in order to exercise their franchise. Makeen also noted that the leave granted to these employees is insufficient for them to comfortably travel home to cast their vote. Based on these reasons the Executive Director of CaFFE has called on the Elections Commission to expand postal voting for those employed in private hospitals, security firms, hotels, and garments.