Online registration is working but more need to use it
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has urged eligible citizens to make use of its online registration platform to minimise long queues at voting stations during the weekend registration campaign set for later this month.
Online voter registration was implemented in 2021 to promote participation, especially among young and first-time voters, and also to make the process easier, the senior manager for electoral matters at the IEC Granville Abrahams told the Mail & Guardian this week.
“Research and engagements over the years with young, eligible voters to better understand their behaviour have frequently identified the lack of online voter registration as a key obstacle,” Abrahams said.
He said the platform can be used by all eligible voters to register for the first time, as well as by those already in the system to update their details.
It is accessible via computers, smartphones and tablets, and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“The system will utilise a number of security checks to ensure the integrity of the voters’ roll.
“These include the use of a one-time pin verification and the submission of a scan or photograph of the voter’s ID document,” Abrahams said, advising users to upload clear pictures of their identity documents because the system has to pick up the barcode.
“Also, to register, we require your address in order to locate you in terms of your voting district and voting station where you need to go and vote,” he added.
Regarding those who had previously registered, Abrahams said: “If you want to update your details, specifically for people who have moved or are not even sure if they are still registered and want to check and correct errors, you will be assisting the IEC by cleaning [up] the voters’ roll.”
Thembeka Mokoena, who will be voting for the first time, told the M&G the platform was easy to use.
“It is usable but the one thing I feel like it lacks, which is a big challenge, is having a section where one can change their voting location. People move around and it is frustrating when they now cannot change online because they registered where they were two months ago,” she said.
Abrahams said being correctly registered was important because it would determine where voters were allowed to cast their ballot.
“If your details are not correctly updated, you will find yourself on voting day far away from where you are registered and you will not be allowed to vote anywhere, as in the past,” Abrahams said.
The law was amended in 2021 to prevent people from simply pitching up at any station to vote, as was previously the case.
“This would lead to some voting stations having long queues or running out of ballot papers.
“Also there is the issue of those mischievous people who want to attempt voting at more than one voting station,” Abrahams said.
The online registration complements the other registration options, including at IEC offices and various schools, tertiary education institutions and the voter registration weekends ahead of the election.
Abrahams said that last month, 106000 people had made use of the online platform. “In September, there were about 90000 registrations and, in August, we had 70000, so the numbers are climbing. Ideally, we would want many more people to come [to register].”
Abrahams said more than 14 million eligible voters have not yet registered.
“The gap between those who are eligible and those who are already registered is too wide. The online system provides an opportunity for all of those that have the facilities to do the right thing,” he said.
Voting centres will be open on 18 and 19 November for those who don’t have access to the online platform.
Abrahams said another online platform for eligible voters living abroad would be introduced.
‘The gap between those who are eligible and those who are already registered is too wide’