Special voting procedure
Special voting will be done either at voting stations or during home visits.
April 4 marked the commencement of applications for special voting within South Africa for the 2019 national elections.
The period to apply for special voter status ended on April 18.
On May 6 and 7, special votes will be cast in line with the election timetable set by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and no exceptions can be made by law.
According to the IEC, a special vote enables a registered voter to apply to vote on a predetermined day before election day.
This is due to a voter being unable to vote at their designated voting station on election day.
Registered voters who fall under the special voter category due to not being able to travel to the voting station on election day are:
• Disabled
• Pregnant
• Physically infirmed
• Those who are unable to travel to their voting station
Further to this, the IEC provides aid for voters with disabilities and special needs.
“The IEC, together with the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB), has developed a voting aid, the Universal Ballot Template (UBT), to assist people with disabilities and special needs to have an independent and secret vote during elections,” the IEC website states.
The UBT can be used by:
• Blind and partially-sighted people
• Low-vision users
• People who are dyslexic
• The elderly
• People with low literacy
• People with motor and nervous conditions which do not allow for a steady hand.
For more information on UBT, visit the IEC website.
The IEC website outlines the following process for those approved for special voting:
• Your thumbnail is marked with indelible ink.
• You receive the relevant ballot paper(s).
• You mark the ballot(s) in secret and then place and seal the ballot(s) in an unmarked envelope.
• The unmarked envelope is placed in another envelope marked with your name, ID number and voting district (VD) number.
• The use of two envelopes is to ensure the secrecy of your ballot (the outer envelope is discarded before counting).
• IEC officials take the envelope and place it in a secure ballot box for special votes.
• Your name is marked off the voters’ roll with “SV” to indicate that you have cast a special vote.
To check your registration status, SMS your ID number to 32810 or call the IEC’s contact centre on 0800 11 800.
Information obtained on the IEC website: https://www.elections.org.za/IECOnline/Home
Voting stations in Benoni:
To view the full list of voting stations in Benoni click here
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