Election calendar: All systems go as May 29 approaches
Voters are counting the days until the national election on May 29, but three important dates are still to be ticked off the calendar before the big day for all voters.
It is all systems go at the IEC for the important dates in May on the election calendar.
Friday, May 3, was the final day for registered voters to apply for early voting and home visits in the upcoming general elections.
The IEC extended the deadline on May 3 from 17:00 to midnight as its portal received a large number of applications.
The IEC said on Friday it received thousands of applications an hour that later in the day it had recorded 1 467 242.
There are two categories of special votes – the infirm who need to be visited at home or a place of confinement and those who vote early at their regular voting station.
The commission said voters do not need to be of a certain age to apply for a special vote, and that special voters will cast their ballot between 09:00 and 17:00 on May 27 and 28.
The IEC said applicants can track their application on its website or call 0800 11 8000.
The IEC said said special voters are marked off the voters’ roll with “SV” to indicate that they have voted.
Voting away from your registered voting district
The commission said it has made a special arrangement for voters who are unable to cast their ballot in their voting district.
It said such voters need to notify it of their desire to vote outside their district by May 17 by submitting a notification to vote where not registered (Section 24A).
For such application, the voter must be a South African citizen, registered voter and be at least 18 years on voting day and must provide an address where they will be on May 29.
If they are inside their registered province, they will receive three ballot papers on May 29 – the national, regional and provincial ballot papers.
If outside their registered province, they will receive only the national ballot.
IEC head of outreach and communication Moses Pitso said those who won’t be at their registered location on Voting Day, should apply to vote at the voting district closest to where they will be on the day.
The application form is available on the IEC website.
Pitso said applicants should indicate the district they wish to vote in so that “the system will identify the relevant voting district”.
Voters casting their votes abroad
The IEC said 78 092 citizens will cast their ballot outside the country.
Spokesperson Kate Bapela voting outside the borders will be on Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18, from 07:00 to 21:00.
She said the largest international voting population at 24 535 in in London, followed by The Hague at 6 659, Canberra at 3 674, Dubai 3 266, Dublin 3 040, Wellington 2 292, Abu Dhabi 1 825, New York and Washington DC respectively at 1 799 and lastly, Berlin at 1 478.
“After the voting process, cast national compensatory ballots will be transported through a source channel back to the national office of the Electoral Commission for counting,” said Bapela.
The commission said it would operate extended hours at its offices on both voting days abroad to assist these voters with queries.
– If you would like to know more, visit www.elections.org.za and click on voter education.
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