IEC returns to manual voting to assist long queues
By 21:00, queues across the city remained long and voters having to practice patience to get to the front of the line.
POLOKWANE – The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has instructed its presiding officers to return to manual voting to assist long queues.
The 2024 General Elections have been marred by long queues and faulty scanners leaving thousands of voters frustrated.
In queue management directions issued by the IEC, the commission states that officers should make use of the printed voters roll where issues are experienced with the Voter Management Device.
In addition, officers were instructed to allow for streaming at their voting stations by splitting the voters roll and employ counting officials to split the roll alphabetically as well as the ballot issuing point.
Voters across Polokwane expressed their dissatisfaction in having to wait long hours to vote due to faulty systems, with some having to wait over six hours to make their mark.
By 21:00, queues across the city remained long and voters having to practice patience to get to the front of the line.
“All voters in the queue, whether inside the voting station or outside must be assisted. At 21:00, security officers must be requested to stand at the end of the queue to stop voters joining the queue,” the IEC’s statement reads.
