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2024 Elections: New Regional Ballot

This year, voters will be required to vote in a third ballot – the Regional Ballot – which affords them the opportunity to elect a suitable candidate to represent a specific region in parliament.

AHEAD of the upcoming elections on May 29, South Africa is bracing for a transformative shift in its electoral process as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has recently announced the introduction of a third Regional Ballot.

This move follows the enactment of the Electoral Amendment Act (1 of 2023). Thabani Ngwira, the IEC communications officer, highlighted, “One of the major changes of the Electoral Amendment Act 1 of 2023 was the notion to include and nominate independent candidates as contesters to elections in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures – for the first time.”

Also read: Voting basics – Did you know….?

Taking to Facebook, the IEC elaborated on the three ballots voters will encounter on Election Day.

The National Ballot, the first among them, showcases political parties contending for seats in the national assembly. This uniform ballot empowers voters nationwide to shape the composition of the central government.

Additionally, voters will receive their Provincial Ballot, tailored to their respective provincial legislatures. These ballots vary across provinces, ensuring local community voices are heard and represented in provincial governance.

According to the IEC Facebook post, “The introduction of the new Regional Ballot corresponds to the voter’s district region. It includes parties and independent candidates vying to represent that specific region in parliament, with ballot compositions varying between regions.”

The IEC views this development as a significant milestone in South Africa’s democratic journey, expanding electoral engagement and broadening the spectrum of leadership choices for national and provincial elections.

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Dillon Pillay

He is a relatively new face in the journalism scene as he just recently graduated. He has a Bachelor in Journalism degree with a major in television. As a journalist at Southlands Sun he focuses on a variety of beats of news from hard news to social events and sports. He works as a multimedia journalist utilising his love for the camera and social media to good use.

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