11 February 2009
The Electoral Commission (IEC) today announced the results of the final
voter registration weekend which took place on 7 and 8 February 2009. The
target set for the number of registered voters for the 2009 elections was 22
million. A higher than expected number of voters visited the 19 726 voter
registration stations over the past weekend.
âI am pleased to tell you that together, the two registration weekends has
led to a 3,6 million increase in the number of registered voters and I am proud
to announce that the votersâ roll as of today contains the names of just over
23 million voters.
âUsually we have much lower turnout figures for a second registration
weekend than we have for the first. But on this occasion we had 3 378 969
visits which is only slightly lower than the 3 694 656 visits we had during the
registration weekend of last November,â said Dr Brigalia Bam, Chairperson of
the IEC.
Dr Bam said that this was indicative of a successful information campaign by
the IEC in the press, on TV and radio as well as with bill boards and posters.
In addition the IEC had employed democracy education workers that have engaged
the public at large to promote registration among eligible voters and for them
to participate in the process of electoral democracy on Election Day.
âIt would be true to say that the vibrancy of the party political scene at
the moment also contributed to the outstanding enthusiasm of the public to get
themselves correctly registered as voters for the upcoming elections. The
social responsibility which the media, both electronic and print, displayed in
promoting registration activities also contributed greatly to the result at
hand. All this bodes well for a high turnout at the elections and that will be
good for democracy in our country,â said Dr Bam.
A total of 1 508 642 new registrations were recorded over the past weekend
of which 78.3% were from South Africans younger than 30 years. In addition 1
653 216 voters corrected their details on the votersâ roll by re-registering in
a new voting district as a result of a change of address. A further 217 111
persons re-registered in the same voting district in which they were previously
registered.
âWe have exceeded the target we have set for ourselves by more than a
million and I am gratified by the dedication of all IEC staff members, the
vibrance and active promotion of registration activities by political parties
and the media, and the enthusiasm of the public in ensuring such a positive
result. The votersâ roll will be in good shape for the elections on 22 April
2009,â said Dr Bam.
Registration for voters is still continuing at Municipal Electoral Offices
(MEOs) until the proclamation of the elections in the Government Gazette by the
President.
Potential voters or registered voters who need information on where to
register or who want to check their registration details, should call the IEC
call centre toll free on 0800 11 8000 or visit the IEC website on
www.elections.org.za or SMS their ID number to 32810.
A detailed breakdown of the voter registration results for the final
registration weekend is available on the IEC website (http://www.elections.org.za).
For media queries, please call:
Mr Kate Bapela
Cell: 082 600 6386
Issued by: Independent Electoral Commission
11 February 2009
