A Special Committee appointed to design legal and practical mechanisms for overseas voting handed its final report to the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government on Tuesday.
The report recommends a framework to allow more than 1.5 million Sri Lankans living abroad to vote in domestic elections. The Minister, accepting the report, said denying the diaspora a say in national governance was unjust given their contribution to the economy through remittances. He described the document as a milestone in Sri Lanka’s electoral history and said it would be presented to Cabinet ahead of legislative action.
Committee Chairman L.A.P.K. Kulatunga, an Additional Elections Commissioner and attorney-at-law, said overseas Sri Lankans had been categorised into four groups: migrant workers, students, dual citizens and those residing abroad for other reasons. The report incorporates input from approximately 16 political parties and civil society organisations.
For ballot casting, the committee considered three mechanisms: voting through Sri Lankan diplomatic missions, postal voting and secure online voting. The report also examines how campaign activities could be conducted for an overseas electorate and the implications of the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act.
The committee was appointed in December 2025 by Cabinet decision and completed its work within three months, ahead of the expected timeline.
The report additionally recommends advanced or mobile voting systems for essential service personnel — including doctors and customs officers — as well as for fishermen, prisoners and the bedridden inside Sri Lanka. Although diaspora voting has been discussed since the 1990s, this is the first formal report presented for the purpose.
The reform comes amid wider electoral procedure debates, including stalled Provincial Council elections.
