The marking of postal votes for this year’s Local Government (LG) elections begins today, 24 April, with over 648,000 eligible voters expected to cast their ballots by mail.

Postal voting will be conducted over four designated days — 24, 25, 28, and 29 April — enabling eligible voters from various government institutions to take part in the democratic process. This includes staff from government departments, the police and armed forces, public schools, state-owned enterprises, and statutory boards.

The Election Commission has made it clear that no extensions will be granted beyond these specified days. Elections Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake stressed that the time frame is final and urged all eligible individuals to make use of the opportunity within the stipulated period.

A total of 648,495 applicants have been approved to vote by post in the upcoming local government elections, according to the Commission.