Will not issue extra ballot papers for mistakenly marking wrong preferences – EC chairman

The chairman of Election Commission Mahinda Deshapriya says extra ballot will not be given if the voters mistakenly mark their preference for a presidential candidate that they did not want to vote for.

The senior polling officers are vested with the authority to provide the voters with an extra ballot paper for such incidents.

However, there are instances where an extra ballot paper can be given to a voter, Deshapriya said.

The senior polling officers can accordingly issue an extra ballot paper if the voter is unable to use the given ballot paper due to an oversight, he stated elaborating such on such incidents.

The Election Commission’s chairman hence urged the voters not to cause any inconveniences to the polling officers by asking for more ballot papers if they mark their preferences wrong.