IEC sets ball rolling for local government polls

THE Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has set the ball rolling to prepare for the 2021 local government elections.

The commission has begun the process of recruiting staff for voting stations ahead of the municipal polls in October.

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While there are health and safety concerns owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, King Cetshwayo IEC regional chairperson, Stella Dlamini, has assured voters that all protocols will be followed.

‘We have introduced various measures to avoid contact between voters and staff at voting stations,’ said Dlamini.

These include the replacement of ink marker pens used to mark voters’ thumbs.

‘The ink will be in a bottle and will be applied to the thumbs with cotton buds, which will be disposed after each use.

‘Voters wishing to bring their own pens will be allowed to do so, even though the pens provided will be sanitised routinely,’ said Dlamini.

These measures will be implemented alongside social distancing in queues and sanitising of voting stations.

‘Our staff will have the necessary personal protective equipment, and voters must also wear their face masks and adhere to all the regulations to safeguard themselves and the IEC staff.’

Dlamini said the IEC has procured new voter management devices to replace the old, ageing registration devices.

‘The new device will be able to confirm the voter’s address instantly and capture it on the system.

‘It will detect the ward each voter falls under, eliminate fraud and the cumbersome paper trail that came with the old devices,’ she said.

‘The only challenge will be in remote areas where there could be network issues, but we will still be able to capture the details of voters.’

Although the weekend of 17-18 July will be the only opportunity for voters to register and check their registration details at their voting stations, voter registration will continue during working hours at local IEC offices until the proclamation of the elections.

Registered voters can also amend their registration details through the ‘Click, Check, Confirm’ function on the commission’s website (www.elections.org.za).

Those who will not be able to vote at their voting station on election day, can apply to vote on a predetermined day before election day.

* Open your PixzAR app and scan the framed image to watch an interview with Stella Dlamini on the IEC’s preparedness for the upcoming local elections

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