All the details you need on how to register to vote

The Election Commission calls on all eligible voters to come out in their numbers to register and update their details ahead of the upcoming 2016 municipal elections during this weekend’s voter registration drive.

Voting stations will be open throughout the country between 8am and 5pm on Saturday, 5 March and Sunday, 6 March to assist:
•    those who have never before registered to register as voters for the first time;
•    those who previously registered but have moved since they registered to re-register in their new voting district; and
•    those whose registration status may have been impacted by changes to ward or voting district boundary changes to re-register in their new voting district

The Electoral Commission also calls on all registered voters – even if they have not changed address or been impacted by boundary changes – to use the opportunity to visit their voting station to update their address and contact details to enhance the voters’ roll.

The Electoral Commission is confident that everything is in place for this weekend’s registration to run smoothly and efficiently with all materials delivered and ready. This includes over 10-million registration forms and 33,000 ‘Zip Zip’ machines, about 52,000 staff trained and ready to assist voters, and some 22,570 voting station venues identified and ready to open at 8am on Saturday.

Registration process
All those visiting a voting station should have with them a valid South African identity document – namely either a green bar-coded ID book, a smartcard ID or a valid temporary ID certificate.

Applicants will also need to provide an address of where they live which is located in the voting district where they are registering. Where voters do not have a formal address, they will need to provide sufficient details of where they live to allow election officials to confirm they are registering in the correct voting district.

However, proof of address is not a prerequisite for registration.

All applicants will complete a REC1 voter registration application form in person at the voting station for the voting district in which they ordinarily reside.

Voters without formal addresses will be required to complete and sign an affirmation form (REC AS) accompanying the REC 1 form in which they attest to the fact they live in the relevant voting district.

In municipal elections voters may only vote where they are registered and voters are reminded that it is a criminal offence to register in a voting district in which they are not ordinarily resident.

To find their correct voting station, eligible voters can:
•    Call the Contact Centre on 0800 11 8000 (7am to 9pm weekdays). The Contact Centre will also be open over the registration weekend
•    Dial *120*432#
•    Use the Voting Station Finder App on www.elections.org.za

Each voting station has also been provided with a copy of the inspection voters’ roll reflecting the voters currently registered in that voting district. They also have maps showing the boundaries of the voting district so that residents can point out where they live.

When registering, voters’ ID documents are scanned by “Zip-Zip” machines to capture the barcode and then receive a registration receipt showing the voting district in which they have applied for registration. This receipt is stuck into a voter’s ID book (in the case of a green barcoded ID) or affixed to a receipt in the case of smartcard IDs.

The applications will be uploaded over the next few days and applicants are then able to check the success of their registration application by SMSing their ID number to 32810 (cost R1), visiting www.elections.org.zaor calling 0800 11 8000.