VRYHEID KZN: Getting ready to vote

Here’s what one needs to know before Election Day (November 1):

· Find your correct voting station · Present your valid identification document to the door controller at the entrance of the voting station

· Check that you are on the voters’ roll · Get your ballot papers

· Get your identification document stamped

· Find an empty voting booth and make your ‘X’

· Cast your vote On the day of the elections,

one will receive three ballot papers: one for the ward councillor (ward ballot), one for a political party (local PR), and one for a district council (district PR).

Ward Ballot:

The ward candidate means you are voting for the candidate you feel is most worthy of your vote in your ward. They can be from a specific political party or an individual candidate. Where an individual candidate does not come from a party, they stand on their own, ordinarily reside in the municipality in that ward, and are registered on that municipal segment of the voters’ roll. On the ballot paper, the abbreviation IND will be next to their name.

Local PR Ballot:

The local PR is when you vote for the political party that will rule in the municipality for the next five years. Proportional representation is where you vote for a party and the party gets seats according to the percentage of votes it received. Candidates are drawn from a party list. This system protects smaller parties, since all votes count.

District PR Ballot:

The district PR is when you vote for a party that will rule in that specific district. One vote to elect a party to the district council from the list of parties participating in the election.

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