THE Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has warned the community to watch out for election ‘myths’.
An email has been making its rounds, warning voters about election scams. The email warns voters to double check that their ballot papers are stamped at the back for the upcoming national elections. It says those ballot papers without stamps are invalid.
The email goes on to say voters should also make sure that they use their own pens as the ones provided at the voting stations are not reliable as the ink disappears.
“While we cannot authenticate the origins of the above email, it is true that ballot papers need to be stamped. In terms of the law, a ballot paper without a stamp is invalid,” said Thabani Ngwira from the IEC office.
“We therefore encourage all voters to check the back of their ballot paper is stamped before they proceed to make their mark at the ballot booth,” he added.
“On the issue of ink, the IEC supplies ink pens at the ballot booths. We are not aware of any incidents where the mark has disappeared on the ballot paper. Pencils were last used during the 1994 elections and have never been used again. We do encourage all voters who wish to bring their own ink pens to do so,” he concluded.
