Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya showing a new ballot box to media yesterday – Pic by Samantha Perera  

• Will replace wooden boxes due to length of ballot paper
• 3000 plastic boxes which are with EC will also be used 
  
   

The Election Commission yesterday showcased some of the waterproof cardboard boxes that will be used in the 16 November Presidential Election. These will replace the wooden boxes usually used in most polling centres, due to the length of the ballot paper.

“A wooden box can only hold 450 ballot papers, given the length of this ballot paper, but the biggest cardboard box can hold up to 1200 papers. 

The boxes come in three sizes, and will be sent to the polling centres depending on the number of registered voters in each centre,” said EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya.

The cost of the cardboard boxes, too, is much lower than plastic and wooden boxes. “These will cost around Rs. 1500 each, but the prices of plastic boxes range between Rs. 6000 to Rs. 8500,” he said.

EC Chairman Deshapriya said that political parties have been shown the boxes, and have agreed to their use, adding that most countries now use cardboard boxes for elections.

The Commissioner also said that there was no way that there could be any fraud or theft during elections, such as stealing ballot boxes or changing the marks on the ballot papers.

“These are all myths that are being spread, but there will be no such incidents at the elections, I can assure voters,” he said.

Post marked ballot papers and face up to three years in jail: EC