POLOKWANE – The Constitutional Court has given the IEC 18 months to update the voters roll when Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in 2016 ruled that the voters roll, as it stood, was “inconsistent with the rule of law”. The IEC had to obtain the outstanding addresses of millions of registered voters before June 2018.
Everyone who is eligible to vote are called upon to confirm their physical addresses at their voting stations during the weekend of 10 to 11 March.
To register as a voter you must be a South African citizen, be at least 16 years old (you can only vote from age 18) and have a green, barcoded ID book, smartcard ID, or valid temporary identity certificate (TIC).
If you have moved (even a short distance) since you registered, your voting district and voting station may have changed and you may need to re-register. During municipal and by-elections, you can only vote at the voting station where you’re registered to vote, so it’s essential to re-register when you move.
To check their registration status, voters can send an SMS with their ID number to 32810 (R1 per SMS), download the IEC’s mobile app and enter their ID number, check their registration details online, check at their voting station during a registration weekend or check at their local IEC office during office hours. To know if they need to re-register, eligible voters should check their voter registration details online and make a note of their stations and voting district numbers. Go to the voting station finder and search for your current home address. On the map, locate the voting district number (blue digits within the green borders of your district) and compare the voting district number here to your registration details – if they’re not the same, you need to re-register in your new voting district.
If you have moved a short distance, it’s possible that you are still in the same voting district and don’t need to re-register but if you have moved a long distance, you most likely will need to register again. Apply for registration in your new voting district at your new voting station during a registration weekend (like on the weekend of 10 and 11 March), or at the local IEC office responsible for your voting district during office hours. A voter cannot register at the IEC’s national or provincial offices, only at the local IEC offices.
Wait at least seven days and then check your voter registration details again to make sure your voting district and voting station have changed.
Voting station venues may change, so do check your registration details to confirm your voting station before going there to register during special registration weekends, or to vote.
