POLOKWANE – The IEC in Limpopo has discouraged political parties from registering voters for special votes without their knowledge and on behalf of someone who does not meet the specified criteria, saying the practice is tantamount to electioneering and wastes taxpayers’ money.

According to IEC policy, it goes beyond standard campaigning and can cross into a violation of the Electoral Act and the legally binding Electoral Code of Conduct.

‘Resource-wasting and time-consuming’

IEC spokesperson in Limpopo, Simon Thobakgale, told Polokwane Observer that based on past behaviour from some political parties, the abuse of the special vote process is both resource-wasting and time-consuming, at a cost to the economy.

The special voting period is limited to two days – November 2 and 3 – from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

He added that when officials waste time on people who do not necessarily need the service, those who genuinely need it are affected by late coverage and may end up abandoning the process completly.

Consent is critical

With the deadline for special vote applications closing on Monday, Thobakgale did not dispute that proxy applications are necessary and important, but said consent is critical.

Special votes are cast through:

• Home visits for those with physical infirmity, disability or pregnancy
• Voting stations for voters who will be absent from their voting district on voting day, or who will be on duty as security or election officers

“Though proxies are allowed, people have done it without valid reasons and parties also do it on behalf of people who sometimes don’t even know,” he said.

Examples of abuse

He said in some instances, the commission visited a home for a special vote to find that the person was not available and had gone to their own affairs because they did not know that they had been registered for a special vote.

He said the commission now blurs parts of ID numbers on voters’ rolls when handing them to parties as part of tightening security control.

He added that in the past, there was a case where a political party registered a deceased person for a special vote and the family was so concerned that a criminal case was opened.

Call to refrain

“The commission calls on all candidates and political parties to refrain from submitting applications for special vote home visits on behalf of voters who do not meet the qualifying criteria,” Thobakgale said.

“Such applications place an unnecessary strain on the commission’s resources and may divert capacity away from voters who genuinely qualify.”

How to apply

Voters can apply:

• By SMSing their ID numbers to 32249 at R1 (for voting station special votes only)
• At IEC offices in Bendor during office hours with Appendix 25 forms, which must be hand-delivered but can be delivered by a proxy
• Online at www.elections.org.za