The 2025 Local Government Elections in Sri Lanka, held last Tuesday (6), were marked by a notably low voter turnout, particularly among the youth. Despite over 17.1 million eligible voters and more than 75,000 candidates vying for 8,287 seats across 339 local bodies, the overall participation was just over 60 percent, with urban centres such as Colombo recording a mere 57 percent turnout.
This decline in youth engagement is perplexing, especially considering the pivotal role young Sri Lankans played in the 2022 Aragalaya Movement that led to significant political upheaval. To understand this disengagement, the Sunday Observer tried to explore the deeper sentiments, ranging from political disillusionment to informational gaps, that may have influenced many young people to stay home on election day.
Speaking to five young voters who had all actively participated in the Presidential and General Elections of 2024, a consistent theme emerged. A strong desire to vote consciously and responsibly, paired with an alleged lack of access to the information necessary to do so. What follows is an attempt to understand not just why the youth abstained, but what their absence says about the state of democracy in Sri Lanka.
“I voted for the NPP,” said Rumeth (21) from Maharagama. “I was not happy with how the Government has acted since the Presidential and General Elections. I wouldn’t vote for the other parties who held previous Governments. My family told me to vote, asking me, as the youth, don’t I have a need to fix my neighbourhood. But I didn’t even know who was running from my locality to the Urban Council to begin with.”
This sentiment, disengagement rooted not in apathy, but in lack of information, was echoed across several conversations following the Election. Rumeth added that during national elections, candidate information was easily accessible. “I looked for the qualifications and details online. But this time, I couldn’t figure out who was running from where.”
Candidate profiles
Across districts, it appears this lack of access to credible candidate profiles left many young voters unsure, confused, or unconvinced that their participation would matter. While the Election Commission made efforts to disseminate basic electoral information, comprehensive voter education around local elections seemed to be lagging far behind the scale and visibility of national campaigns.
For Manushika (35) from Kaduwela, the issue was not just about who to vote for, but about not knowing what she was voting for. “I don’t know much about the Local Government elections,” she said. “I’m actually not that aware of the roles and responsibilities of all these Urban Councils and Municipal Councils.”
Although she had voted previously in the Presidential and General Elections of 2024, she chose to abstain this time. “I didn’t know who to vote for. At least not as much as last time. And not knowing who to vote for, I can’t just blindly cast my vote to a party. Voting for the right person is important to me.”
She said that her recollection of last year’s elections contrasts sharply with the experience in 2025. “At the Presidential and General Elections, we knew who was there. We got sheets of paper from almost every party detailing their candidates for the area. The information was available online. If we were made aware of who exactly was running and what qualifications they have, I would’ve voted. After all, every vote matters. But I’m not going to be careless with mine.”
This caution and emphasis on informed participation over blind loyalty could be signalling a more mature political consciousness than youth are often credited for. Rather than disengaging out of disinterest, many young voters say that they are opting out because they no longer want to vote based on party colours, slogans, or pressure from elders. They want substance. And increasingly, many of the youth claim that they feel they aren’t getting it.
Aakil (21), a first-time voter from Colombo, put it bluntly: “I was too lazy to be honest,” he said. “No, but seriously I didn’t think it would be of any use. I wanted to vote but I just didn’t know who was contesting. And I don’t want to be coerced by elders or anyone else to cast my vote. I want to vote consciously with the right knowledge. Not from external pressure.”
The inability to identify candidates, combined with the absence of accessible, youth-friendly voter education platforms, has left many like Aakil feeling alienated from the local election process. He said that in the past elections, party-level digital campaigns and independent fact-checking initiatives helped bridge that gap. But this time, comparatively those efforts were sporadic at best.
Surani (28), from Kotte, voiced similar concerns. “I will never cast my vote without knowing the person I’m voting for. Most of my friends didn’t vote in this election for the same reason. Not just the youth, even the adults didn’t know who they were voting for.”
She said that her family members were not aware as to who the candidates were of the party they were voting for.“They just voted for the party. On election day, I learned that one of my neighbours was also contesting! During the General Election, I could go online anytime and see who was running for office. I still don’t know who got selected into our Municipal Council.”
The contrast with national elections is stark. Last year, voter outreach campaigns, particularly on digital and social media, amplified candidate information and gave the electorate tools to make informed choices. In 2025, the sheer volume of candidates (over 75,000 contesting for 8,287 seats) created a clutter that was difficult for the average voter, to navigate. Some voters said that they are fatigued, not merely by the scarcity of reliable information, but by the repeated cycle of elections that yield little tangible change.
“What more elections?” asked Alex (25), from Mount Lavinia. “There’s an Executive President in power, a two-thirds majority Government. What more do you need to fix this country? It seems like we are getting back to the same game of having some form of an election every year.”
His cynicism reflects a deeper fatigue that many young adults in Sri Lanka have come to feel. “For politicians, elections are their life. But regular people have to work. People have lives and responsibilities outside these elections.”
Alex’s remarks capture a reality that many older political operatives might not be prepared to face. It seems that for many young Sri Lankans, voting is no longer a civic duty carried out by default. It is increasingly seen as a transactional act; one that demands trust, transparency, and measurable results. But has the system failed them, or have we failed to educate and engage them?
Routine politics
President’s Counsel and a prominent elections analyst Dr. Jayatissa De Costa, offers a much broader perspective. “Political apathy plays a major role. These youngsters can’t understand the political consequences of these elections,” he said. According to him, the lack of visible, accessible candidate information severely impacts participation. “The average voter must be able to identify the representatives of the area. People don’t know who is contesting. Enough literature and resources aren’t coming out prior to an election. Even the daily press and general media are preoccupied by routine politics. Routine politics ruined this.”
Dr. De Costa also said that the 60 percent turnout among eligible voters is far from ideal. “A 70 percent turnout is considered healthy, taking into account those who are abroad, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to vote,” he added. “But we’ve fallen below that, and that should be a cause for serious concern.”
Speaking to the Sunday Observer, Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake said a plethora of reasons have been observed by the Election Commission, which may have contributed to the lethargic youth participation in the Local Government Elections.
“Culturally and traditionally, the public has always given less value to the Local Government election. The gravity of the Local Government and its value has always been misplaced through the lack of civic education. The youth is also a fraction of the same general public. From midwives, garbage collection to road repairs and the place you are finally buried at, having the right kind of Local Government will be important,” said the Commissioner General.
In the absence of strong civic education at school level or sustained public awareness campaigns, it seems that many youth are left unaware of how Local Councils directly affect their lives, from garbage collection and road maintenance to housing permits and community development.
Their decision to abstain might not indicate apathy, but a higher standard of civic responsibility. The message is clear. The youth of this country will not vote for the sake of voting, and is calling for a more transparent and accessible democratic process.
