Voting stations in NC open this weekend

VOTING stations in Kimberley and the Northern Cape will be open this weekend, March 10 and 11, to allow voters to update their details on the national voters’ roll in preparation for the general elections next year.

The voter registration weekend will see all 22 612 voting stations around the country open for the public between 8am and 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

On Thursday, Cabinet urged all eligible voters to visit their voting stations to update the voters’ roll in preparation for the 2019 general elections.

These elections are expected between May and August 2019.

However, the Electoral Commission (IEC) has made an early start with the preparations.

“Cabinet particularly calls on first-time voters to ensure they participate in their constitutional democratic right to vote by going to register to vote,” Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said at a media briefing after a meeting of the executive.

The Minister said the registration weekend was a milestone towards the culmination of a two-year project to obtain the residential addresses of all registered voters.

Incomplete

South Africa has a total of 25 899 778 registered voters. However, according to the IEC, it still does not have the addresses for 2.8 million voters, while a further 3.5 million addresses are currently classified as “incomplete” or “generic”.

These voters are also being urged to update their details before the end of May 2018, as the Constitutional Court in 2016 gave it until June this year to update the voters’ roll with all available addresses.

Citizens visiting their voting stations must take their bar-coded green ID book, smart card ID or valid temporary ID certificate. They will be assisted to complete a registration form providing their home address at which they ordinarily reside, which will allow the Electoral Commission to place them in the correct voting district. Proof of residence is not required.

The IEC has also activated its contact centre – 0800 11 8000 – which runs from Monday to Friday during office hours to assist voters in finding their correct voting station and to answer any queries.

Registered voters can also SMS their ID number to 32810 to receive an SMS containing the address of their voting station. These SMSs are charged at R1.

The online facility (available at https:// www.elections.org.za/MyIEC/Account/ Register) also remains open for registered voters with access to the internet to update and review their address online.