THE Electoral Commission has agreed to extend voting hours at foreign missions on 27 April to accommodate Jewish voters celebrating the Sabbath.

“The decision to extend voting hours at these missions followed a request from the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) to accommodate Jewish voters who will be celebrating the Sabbath on 26 – 27 April,” said the Commission in a statement.

Voting at the London, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles and New York missions will open at 7am and close at 11:30pm on the day that South Africa commemorates Freedom Day.

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The SAJBD recommended the four missions for extended voting hours based on estimations of the missions most likely to be frequented by Jewish voters.

The mission in London has a total 9 575, followed, followed by Tel Aviv with 189 voters. Los Angeles has 299 registered voters while New York has a total of 633.

The Commission previously announced that it would allow Muslim voters to apply for special votes at voting stations on 6 and 7 May – from 9am to 5pm – should they choose to due to the anticipated start of the Holy month of Ramadan on 8 May 2019.

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Special vote applications for such cases close at midnight on 18 April 2019. Those seeking to cast special votes can do so by applying online (www.elections.org.za) or by SMSing your ID number to 32249 (R1 each).

Hand-delivered applications using a VEC 10 form must be submitted to local IEC offices by 5 pm on 18 April.

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