Pretoria – It’s all systems go for the registration weekend and the Electoral Commission says all eligible voters must come out in their numbers to register ahead of the 2016 Local Government Elections.
The commission’s Chief Electoral Officer, Mosotho Moepya, on Thursday said about 22 750 voting stations throughout the country will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 8am until 5pm, for voters to register and update their details.
Moepya said the registration weekend will assist those who have never registered as voters to register for the first time; those who previously registered but have relocated to re-register in their new voting district; and those whose registration status may have been impacted by changes to ward or voting district boundary changes to re-register in their new voting district.
“The Electoral Commission is confident that everything is in place for this weekend’s registration to run smoothly and efficiently with all materials delivered and ready, including over 10 million registration forms and 33 000 zip-zip machines,” he said.
He said approximately 52 000 staff members have been trained and are ready to assist voters. Moepya urged all those visiting a voting station to take along a valid South African identity document -- either a green bar-coded ID book, a smartcard ID or a valid Temporary Identity Certificate.
Applicants will also need to provide an address of where they live that is located in the voting district where they are registering.
Moepya said where voters do not have a formal address, they will need to provide sufficient details of where they live to allow election officials to confirm they are registering in the correct voting district.
“However, proof of address is not a prerequisite for registration. All applicants will complete a REC1 voter registration application form in person at the voting station for the voting district in which they ordinarily reside.
“Voters without formal addresses will be required to complete and sign an affirmation form (REC AS) accompanying the REC 1 form in which they attest to the fact they live in the relevant voting district,” he said.
Moepya said in municipal elections, voters may only vote where they are registered and voters are reminded that it is a criminal offence to register in a voting district in which they are not ordinarily resident.
He said if eligible voters want to find their correct voting station, they should call the Contact Centre on 0800 11 8000 between 7am and 9pm during weekdays, which will also be open over the registration weekend, or they can dial *120*432#.
He said they can also use the Voting Station Finder App on www.elections.org.za.
Moepya said each voting station has also been provided with a copy of the inspection voters’ roll reflecting the voters currently registered in that voting district.
“They also have maps showing the boundaries of the voting district so that residents can point out where they live.
“When registering, voters’ ID documents are scanned by zip-zip machines to capture the barcode and then they receive a registration receipt showing the voting district in which they have applied for registration.
“This receipt is stuck onto a voter’s ID book (in the case of a green barcoded ID) or affixed to a receipt in the case of smartcard IDs,” he said.
He said applications will be uploaded over the next few days and applicants are then able to check the success of their registration application by SMSing their ID number to 32810 (cost R1), visiting www.elections.org.za or calling 0800 11 8000.
The Department of Home Affairs has announced that its offices will also be open over the weekend between 8am and 5pm to coincide with the registration hours.
Moepya said this will allow voters who have not yet collected their IDs to collect them and those who may have lost their ID to apply for a temporary ID certificate in order to register.
He also reiterated the department’s call for citizens to collect their IDs.
“The department this week announced that there were over 220 000 smart ID cards ready for collection at its branches around the country.
“Enquiries regarding ID documents can be made to the Home Affairs Call Centre on 0800 60 11 90 and those who have applied for an ID can check the status of their application by SMSing their ID number to 32551,” said Moepya. - SAnews.gov.za
