The first election to the State Council of Ceylon were held from 13 to 20 June 1931.

The old Legislative Council was dissolved on 17 April 1931 and candidate nominations took place on 4 May 1931.

[3] The Jaffna Youth Congress, an organisation that campaigned for Ceylon independence, called for a boycott of the election since the Donoughmore Constitution did not grant dominion status to Ceylon.

[3] Consequently, no nominations were received in four constituencies in the north of the country (Jaffna, Kankesanthurai, Kayts and Point Pedro).

[3] In addition, nine other constituencies only had a single nomination each and consequently the candidates were elected without a vote.