Voters only need to register once, unless they move within South Africa or the voting district boundaries change.
Who can register
- A South African citizen
- Only vote from age 18
- Have a green, bar-coded ID book, a smart-card ID or valid temporary identity certificate
- Register within South Africa
People can register by making an appointment to apply for registration during office hours at the local Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) office responsible for the Springs voting district.
Always phone first to book an appointment.
By law, no online or email registrations are permitted.
Take with a green, bar-coded ID book, a smart-card ID or valid temporary identity certificate.
No other forms of identification can be accepted.
Only original documents (no copies) are accepted.
An application form needs to be completed, then the ID book is scanned and a bar-coded sticker is pasted in the ID book.
Please note that completing the form and receiving a bar-coded sticker or receipt doesn’t mean that you’re registered – it only means that you’ve applied for registration.
The application must still be processed and may take up to seven working days.
When to re-register
- When the home address changes or when the IEC informs the applicant that the voting district boundaries have changed.
It is important to know that during municipal elections and by-elections, the voters have to vote at the voting station where they are registered.
Registration details can be checked by sending an SMS including the ID number to 32810 (R1 per SMS) or download the IEC mobile app and enter the ID number.
Registration details can also be checked online, at the voting station during a registration weekend or at the local IEC office during office hours.
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela says registered voters will only vote at the voting station where their name appears once on the voters roll where they are registered and nowhere else.
When people vote, their name on the voters’ roll is crossed off and their left thumbnail is marked with indelible ink.
“These are the controls which will be applied against multiple voting,” she says.
Voters with a smart-card ID will receive a proof of registration postcard form on which the sticker will be pasted.
Bapela says these voters have to keep this form safe and take the form and their smart-card ID with them when they go to vote.
The election timetable will indicate the time frame within which voters can apply for a special vote and nearer to the time the IEC will confirm who qualifies for a special vote.
The timetable will be published once the election date has been proclaimed and published in the Government Gazette.
Municipal elections are held every five years to elect councillors who will be responsible for governing a municipality for the next five years.
The current term of office of municipal councils ends on May 18 and the elections will be held between May 18 and August 16.
