Registration of Electors Registration of electors and revision of electoral registers is done annually. At the district level the Department of Elections is represented by an Assistant Commissioner of Elections (who is also the Assistant Registering Officer) to direct and control the revision work under the supervision of the District Secretary (earlier Government Agent), the administrative head of the District. The Commissioner of Elections appoints them as the Registering Officers of the respective Districts. The Registering Officer appoints enumerators to visit houses for compiling the names of voters. Chief occupants of each household are expected to perfect the enumeration form ( BC form ) supplied to them. The village level government officer, Grama Niladhari, undertakes the enumeration. Special Enumerators are appointed for this work in the Metropolitan areas. (eg. Colombo Municipal Council Area). The electoral registers are revised and prepared with reference to a qualifying date. i.e. all Sri Lankan citizens of age 18 years or above on June 1st are eligible to be registered at a qualifying address.

Publication of Lists of Names to be deleted (A) and List of names to be included (B) After collecting the completed documents ( BC forms ) at the District Offices, all names to be deleted ("A" List) and names to be included ("B" List) will be compiled and exhibited for a 28 day statutory period during the months of November / December each year. Claims and objections are entertained during the same statutory period for inclusion or retention of a name/names in the new register.

Certification of the Register On completion of inquiries into claims and objections and after such amendment electoral registers are retyped and prepared for certification during the month of May in the following year. The electoral registers so prepared are open to the public and valid for all elections that will take place thereafter until the next register is certified.

The work steps of the Annual Revision The work steps of annual revision and preparation of electoral registers are enumerated below:

The counting of votes commences immediately after the receipt of the last ballot box of a Counting Centre around 8.00 p.m. on the date of poll. Counting begins in the presence of the Counting Agents not more than five agent of a political party or an independent group.

Except at the Presidential and Referendum elections where the whole country becomes one electorate in other elections results are announced at two stages. Firstly the result of the vote count and secondly the results of the count of preferences. In all these instances vote results are announced under each polling (area) division and finally the electoral district result.

Returning Officers of the respective electoral areas (District Secretaries) manage the conduct of poll and the count of votes, with the assistance of Assistant Returning Officers and the subordinate staff. Local announcement of results are done by the Returning Officers only after the approval of the Commissioner of Elections. Announcement of Results to the Nation is done by the Commissioner through Radio and Television from his office.