IEC satisfied with special voter turnout
Voters are reminded to have their ID documents when they go to vote.
Special voting in the National and Provincial Elections started at 22 000 voting stations.
The Electoral Commission of SA said it was happy with the execution of the special votes in various areas, on May 27.
About 201 794 voting station visits for the special votes were processed at 22 626 service points.
According to IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela, 60 000 officials from the Electoral Commission visited 624 593 voters over the two days (May 27 and 28), accompanied by political party agents and observers, when available.
The commission said it’s happy with the turnout and urges South Africans to go in their numbers to vote today (May 29).
“The commission reminds those who qualified for the special votes that they will be visited once only at the given address. If the voter is not present at that address, they can vote at the voting station where they are registered.
“The commission clarifies that if a voter has made two transactions, the last will override the first. This will protect the integrity of the elections and prevent voters from voting twice.”
The commission said it could not open most voting stations in the Eastern Cape because of protests that had nothing to do with the elections. Of the 435 voting stations that experienced problems in the morning, only 107 remain closed because of these external factors.
“The commission continued to work with stakeholders to have them open on May 28.”
Bapela said after voting, the ballots must be inserted in an unmarked envelope, which, in turn, would be inserted into a second envelope with the voter’s details.
“The special voting process is subject to all the security and integrity protocols of usual voting, including scrutiny by party agents and observers, where present. The special votes will be reconciled against the voters’ roll and the list of approved special votes. Additional checks include using the double envelope system, which allows us to preserve the secrecy of the voter’s ballot.
“All special votes collected are stored securely overnight on May 27 and 28 and will be transported to voting stations on May 29 to be opened, reconciled and added to the ordinary ballots cast on May 29 before counting begins,” said Bapela.
The commission warns citizens to watch for misinformation and phishing scams on social media and other digital platforms.
The commission thanks the South Africans who registered for special votes.
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