Elections have officially kicked off as thousands are expected to cast special votes today and tomorrow.
In Ward 117, councillor Tim Truluck reported that everything was running smoothly and there were no glitches. “All four voting stations opened on time and home visits are being done for those who cannot visit the voting station.”
In Ward 94, councillor Annete Deppe also reported that there had been no problems and said there was enough IEC staff to officiate over the process at all the stations in her ward. Her only concern was the lack of voters’ contact details on the list which she said was a challenge as officials could not contact them to check if they would be coming to vote today or tomorrow to cast their votes.
Another challenge Deppe highlighted was that one presiding officer didn’t have a car and home visits could not be done at the moment. “The presiding officer said she was waiting for an IEC manager to come and help with home visits,” she said.
Deppe also noted that there was not the same level of security over the ballot papers as it had been over the past few years. “Previously special votes were securely put inside two envelopes once a voter had cast their vote but this year cast ballot papers are put directly into a ballot box.”
She added that she had instructed her party agents to be extra vigilant and ensure that the ballot boxes were securely closed over the two days.
One concern Deppe had was that party agents were allegedly not allowed to join home visits in Ward 92. She alleged that the presiding officer of Drake Koka Primary School voting station in Kaalfontein left party agents at the voting station but said the IEC had intervened and party agents would be joining in to observe the casting of special votes at homes.
Between today and tomorrow, 78 992 voters will cast special votes in Gauteng. A total of 30 121 had been approved for home visits and 48 871 for special votes at voting stations.
According to IEC spokesperson, Kate Bapela, election officials will visit the addresses provided by voters who applied for home visits at some point over the two days. “They will only visit the address once. If the voter is not present, they will not be able to cast a special vote. These voters ought to be home as home visits are reserved for those largely unable to travel,” Bapela emphasised.
She said those who applied to cast a special vote at their voting station must do so between 8am and 5pm on 1 August or 2 August. These are different from the voting hours of 7am to 7pm on election day on 3 August.
A voter whose application for a special vote was approved but who, for whatever reason, was unable to cast a special vote may still cast their ballot at their voting station on election day.
Read all about the elections here.
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