Elections 2016: Special vote – do you qualify?

A special vote allows a registered voter, who can’t vote at their voting station on election day to apply to vote on a predetermined day before election day.

Special voting days allocated for the 2016 Municipal Elections are 1 and 2 August – the two days before the election on 3 August 2016. If you are away from your voting district from 1 to 3 August 2016, you forfeit your vote in the 2016 Municipal Elections.

Voting abroad is only possible in national elections, and not in municipal elections.

Who qualifies for a special vote?

You can apply if you are a registered voter, have a green, barcoded ID book, smartcard ID, or a valid Temporary Identity Certificate.

To make sure that you’re registered and to find out where you’re registered, you can:

• Check your voter registration status online
• SMS your ID number to 32810
• Dial *120*432# on your cellphone
• Make an appointment to visit your local IEC office

By law, you can apply for a special vote if you:

• Can’t travel to your voting station because you are physically infirm, disabled or pregnant.
• Can’t vote at your voting station on election day, but can do so on the predetermined special voting days.

How do you apply?

Applications for special votes for the 2016 Municipal Elections were open from 10 June 2016 to 8 July 2016, as specified in the official election timetable. Applications for special votes are now closed.

If you have applied, you should have received an SMS or email notifying you of the outcome of your application. You can also check the status of your special vote application online.

Where do you vote?

• If you can travel, but can’t vote at the voting station where you are registered on election day, you must vote at the voting station where you are registered. Voting stations will be open from 8am to 5pm for special voting (NOT from 7am to 7pm as is the case on election day).
• If you can’t travel to the voting station where you are registered because you are physically infirm, disabled or pregnant, voting officials will visit you on Monday 1 August 2016 or Tuesday 2 August 2016 at the place where you live (it must be within the voting district where you’re registered) and allow you to vote.

What happens when you cast a special vote?

If your application for a special vote was successful, you will vote as follows:

• Your thumbnail is marked with indelible ink
• Your ID book is stamped
• You receive the relevant ballot papers
• You mark the ballots in secret, place and seal the ballots in an unmarked envelope
• The unmarked envelope is placed in another envelope that is marked with your name, ID number and voting district (VD) number. The use of two envelopes is to ensure the secrecy of your ballot (the outer envelope is discarded before counting)
• IEC officials take the envelope and place it in a secure ballot box for special votes
• Your name is marked off the voters’ roll with “SV” to indicate that you have cast a special vote.