Election registrations are afoot

The 2016 municipal elections are afoot and the Electoral Commission (IEC) is urging eligible citizens to get registered.

Voting stations will be open from 8am to 5pm over the weekend of Saturday, 5 March to Sunday, 6 March for new voter registration as well as for existing voters to update their details before the election.

The exact date of the elections has yet to be announced. It is said that the date will be announced later this year by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), David van Rooyen.

Municipal elections, according to the constitution, must take place between 18 May and 16 August. This is the 90 day window at the end of the five year term of office of municipal councillors who were elected in 2011 and in any by-elections.

Where to vote and what is required:

All South African citizens 18 years and older should ensure they are registered in the correct voting district which is where they ordinarily reside. You may only vote in a municipal election if you vote in the district which you are registered to vote.

Should voters still have trouble finding their correct district, they can call the IEC contact centre on 080 011 8000 between 7am and 9pm on weekdays and for the first time the contact centre agents will also be available (from Monday 18 January 2016) to assist voters via webchat www.elections.org.za, Twitter @IECSouthAfrica, Facebook IECSouthAfrica and email info@elections.org.za

Voters can also use the voting station finder app on the IEC website at www.elections.org.za as well as follow the prompts on the IEC USSD code. Dial *120*IEC# (*120*432#).

Voters who are already registered can SMS their ID number to 32810 to receive confirmation of their voter registration details including the name of their voting station. SMSes are charged at R1.

When voters visit their voting station they need to take with their green bar-coded ID book, smart ID card or a valid temporary ID certificate to the voting station. No other forms of ID are accepted for voter registration.

It should also be noted that it is a criminal offence to knowingly register in a voting district in which you do not reside.

According to statistics from the IEC, voter registration currently stands at 24,98 million a voting age population currently estimated at 34,1 million by Statistics South Africa.

Of the approximately 9,1 million eligible voters who are not currently registered, more than 80 percent are under 35 years old.

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