EC says voters who refuse one of the three ballots will not receive it and their names will be publicly announced

The Elections Commission (EC) has said that if a voter chooses not to participate in one of the three simultaneous polls taking place on Saturday, they will not be issued the ballot paper for that vote, and their name will be publicly announced at the polling station.

Voting will take place from 8:00am to 4:00pm for three separate ballots: the referendum on merging the presidential and parliamentary elections, the local council elections, and the Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday evening, EC President Mohamed Zahid said each voter will be issued three ballot papers. However, if a voter states that they do not wish to take part in one of the votes, the ballot for that specific election will not be given.

“We will announce that this or that person does not want the paper. We will announce it publicly so observers and everyone present can note it, and arrangements can be made for it to appear later in the telecast,” Zahid said.

He added that the same procedure was followed during the 2021 local council and WDC elections. Zahid stressed that choosing not to participate in a vote is voluntary.

ލޯކަލް ކައުންސިލްތަކާއި އަންހެނުންގެ ތަރައްޤީއަށް މަސައްކަތްކުރާ ކޮމިޓީގެ އިންތިޚާބު އަދި ރައްޔިތުންގެ ޚިޔާލު ހޯދުމުގެ ޢާންމު ވޯޓު 2026 #LCEWDCE2026 #LCE2026 #WDCE2026 #Referendum2026 #ECM pic.twitter.com/0BZjffBCNP

— Elections Commission (@ElectionsMv) April 2, 2026

The name of any voter who declines a ballot will be announced and recorded in the incident report, he said.

Zahid also explained that each ballot must be placed in its designated box: the referendum ballot in a white‑labelled box, the council ballot in a blue box, and the WDC ballot in a green box. Even if a ballot is placed in the wrong box, it will still be counted during the tally.

The results of the three votes will be counted separately, with the local council ballots counted first, followed by the WDC ballots. The referendum results will be announced last.

A total of 294,876 people are eligible to vote in Saturday’s polls.