Voters can register – or re-register – for the 2019 national and provincial elections next weekend (26 and 27 January). Voting stations throughout the country will be open from 08:00 to 17:00 on Saturday and Sunday so voters can ensure that they are eligible to vote in the national elections this year.
Parys will have two new voting stations. One is at the Ned. Geref. Kerk Parys-Suid (between Delver and Rubin streets) in Ward 12, and the other at BASA Park in Ward 13. Residents in those voting districts will have to re-register.
Ward 12’s DA councillor, Andries Vrey, says the new NGK-Suid voting station should eliminate queues at the crowded Parys Library. The voting district is bordered by End Street in the east, Third Avenue in the south and Unie Street in the west. The nor-thern boundary is along Loop Street, Grens, Schilbach, Noorder, and First Avenue up to End Street.
The BASA Park voting station caters for voters in the area south of Third Avenue, between End and Unie streets. ‘We are glad the Independent Electoral Commission has agreed to establish a voting station at BASA Park after we pointed out that Schonkenville Hall is too far for voters in the so-called Vaal-Parys area,’ says DA councillor, Shirley Vermaak, who is on a liaison committee with the IEC.
Mr Vrey asked residents to check that their names and addresses on the voters’ roll are correct. ‘They may visit over the weekend or simply SMS their ID number to the IEC computer at 32810.’
To find out where to register or re-register, Parysenaars can phone (056) 811 4791 or visit the IEC office in the Forum building opposite Spar. Bear in mind, however, that the offices will be closed on Thursday, 17 and Friday, 18 January.
Young people over 16 may register but can vote only when they are 18. Despite representing over 50 per cent of the population, South Africans aged under 30 years old still have the lowest levels of voter registration.
Therefore the IEC’s communication and education campaign specifically encourages South Africa’s youth to register and vote.
As part of the election launch, the IEC contact centre has been re-activated and is operational weekdays from 08:00 to 17:00. It assists callers in all official languages on 0800 11 8000 and is also available to respond to queries submitted via email and the IEC’s Twitter account and Facebook page.
Voter registration for South Africans living abroad is taking place between 1 – 4 February at South Africa’s 121 foreign missions. Registration of inmates is planned for 22–23 January at correctional facilities.
Voters should take a copy of their bar-coded ID book, smart card ID or temporary ID certificate when they go to register in the voting district in which they ordinarily reside.
When registering, voters must provide their address or a description of where they live.
However, documentation or proof of address is not required.
