Application for special votes opened

Preparations for the 4 November Local Government Elections move ahead as application process for special votes opens

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Your vote matters in the Local Government Elections PHOTO: GCIS

The Independent Electoral Commission of South African has opened applications for special votes.

The period started on Monday, 21 September and will close on Monday, 12 October at 5pm.

Special votes are meant to ensure access to the vote by persons who would otherwise not be able to participate in elections on 4 November.

IEC spokesperson, Kate Bapela explained that special votes fall in two broad categories.

“The first are home visit special votes for persons who are unable to present physically at a voting station owing to physical condition. This category of voters if approved are visited at a place of confinement which must be in a voting district in which the voter is registered.

“The second category of special votes relates to voters who can present physically at their voting station but can’t vote at their voting station on voting day.

“This category of voters will, if approved, vote at their voting station on the two days preceding Election Day,” she said.

She added that voters who may be out of their voting districts on 4 November, including those in essential services and media, also qualify for special vote at the voting stations where they are registered.

“Applications can be made at the IEC local offices across the country, via the website (www.elections.org.za), or via SMS number 32249,” she explained.

Voters can confirm the correctness of their voting station as follows:

SMS 32810 with their ID number and receive confirmation, including their voters’ roll sequence number, which will facilitate ease of identification of the voter’s name on the voters’ roll.

Call the Contact Centre on 0800 11 8000 to confirm their voting station details with the agents in their preferred language and receive the sequence number.

WhatsApp Hi to 0600 88 0000 wherein the voter can, through the Am I Registered menu, get confirmation of their voting station and receive their voters’ roll sequence number.

This voters’ roll sequence (or order) number will facilitate ease of identification of the voter’s name on the voters’ roll.

Don’t have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: