The Electoral Commission reiterates the call on all voters to check where they are registered to vote. Picture: Nigel Sibanda / The Citizen
As voting starts today, the IEC has reminded citizens that they cannot vote at stations they are not registered at.
Unlike in the past, you won’t simply be given a national ballot to vote if you go to the wrong station. This year, unless you applied for an exception, you will be turned away.
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“The commission takes this opportunity to remind voters that they can only vote at voting districts where they are registered. The only voters who may vote outside their voting districts on 29 May are those who have notified the commission, within the period 15 March to 17 May 2024 as stipulated in the Election Timetable, that they would be away from their designated districts and wished to change their voting location.
“According to Section 24 (a) of the Electoral Amendment Act, a voter may vote outside of the voting district where registered but needs to notify the Electoral Commission before Voting Day during the period specified in the Election Timetable,” said the commission in a statement.
Citizens who have applied for special votes will vote on Monday and Tuesday, 27 and 28 May respectively, also at the stations they have registered in.
Special voting station will be open from 9am to 5pm on both these days.
However, voting stations will be open from 7am to 9pm on Wednesday, the actual election day.
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When voters cast their votes in the province where they are registered, they will receive three ballot papers: one for the national election, one for the regional election, and one for the provincial election.
However, if they choose to vote outside their registered province, they will only be eligible to vote in the national election.
Furthermore, voters are urged to check their email or SMS for the accurate information communicated by the IEC to verify which station one should go to and when.
“The Electoral Commission reiterates the call on all voters to check where they are registered to vote, and to bring their identity documents with when voting.”
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Furthermore, to ensure that voters who have successfully applied to vote at another voting station have the correct information about their voting location, they need to take an additional step of checking their voting location. This can be done in the following two ways:
Nota bene, voting location information for voters who have applied to vote at another voting station will not appear on their registration status. Therefore, it is essential for voters to follow the steps mentioned above to obtain the correct voting location information.
It is also important to note that one will not be allowed to vote if they do not bring with them, their identity document.
While South Africa is eagerly anticipating a seamless and highly contested election, some analysts believe the lack of information around elections and voting may have a notable effect on voter turnout and votes cast.
Netizens have also took it upon themselves to educate others on the voting process, including polling station locations and common pitfalls to avoid when casting their votes.
Others, however, have expressed frustration towards those who have been asking “trivial” questions, saying they are to blame for not taking the initiative and effort to educate themselves.
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