The Electoral Commission is happy to report good progress in the execution of special votes, which started today 27 May and will end tomorrow 28 May, for qualifying voters.
As at 2pm today, an estimated 201 794 voting station visits of special votes were processed in 22 626 service points. A total of 624 593 voters will be visited by 62 000 officials over the two days, from the Electoral Commission, accompanied by political party agents and observers, where they are available.
The Electoral Commission is happy with the turnout and urges South Africans to continue to go out in their numbers to vote on 29 May 2024.
The Commission reminds those who qualified for special votes that they will only be visited at the given address once. If the voter is not present at the given address, they will be able to cast their vote at the voting station where they are registered.
The Commission clarifies that in the instance where a voter has made two transactions, the last will override the first. This is done to protect the integrity of the elections and prevent voters from voting twice.
Owing to the good preparations, the Commission was able to open the majority of voting stations in the Eastern Cape, in the face of protests which had nothing to do with elections. Of the 435 voting stations which experienced problems in the morning, only 107 remain closed due to these external factors. The Commission continues to work with stakeholders to have them open tomorrow.
Those who applied to cast a special vote at their voting station must do so between 9am and 5pm. Voters are reminded that these are different from the voting hours of 7.00am to 9.00pm on Election Day. Voters are reminded to have their identity documents as a requirement for participation. After casting votes, the ballots must be inserted in an unmarked envelop which in turn will be inserted in a second envelope with details of the voter.
The special voting process is subject to all the security and integrity protocols of normal voting including scrutiny by party agents and observers where present. Special votes will be reconciled against the voters’ roll and the list of approved special votes. Additional checks include the use of the double envelope system which allows us to still preserve the secrecy of the voters’ ballot.
All special votes collected are stored securely overnight on 27 and 28 May, will be transported to voting stations on 29 May, to be opened, reconciled and added to the ordinary ballots cast on 29 May 2024 before counting begins.
As 29 May draws closer, the Commission warns South Africans to watch out for misinformation and phishing scams on social media and other digital platforms.
The Commission thanks South Africans who have registered for Special Votes.
For media queries: Please contact Kate Bapela on 082 600 6386
For media interviews: Please email requests to: spokesperson@elections.org.za
