Last chance for special vote applications

Voters have until the end of today to apply for special votes in the 2016 Municipal Elections.

The deadline for submission of special vote applications is 5pm on Friday 8 July.

Special votes are available to all registered voters including disabled, infirm and pregnant voters as well as members of the security forces, election officials, the media and any other voters who are unable to visit their voting station on Election Day 3 August.

There are two forms of special votes: home visits, where election officials visit voters at their place of residence to allow them to cast their ballots – these are only available to voters who are disabled, infirm or pregnant; and special voting at your voting station – available to registered voters who are unable to vote on 3 August.

To date the Electoral Commission has received over 285 000 applications for special votes. Of these approximately 30 percent are for home visits.

Special votes may only be cast by voters who have applied for and received approval from the Electoral Commission to cast a special vote.

For the first time applications for special votes are available online via the Electoral Commission’s website www.elections.org.za and via cellphone by SMSing the voter’s ID number to 32249 (SMS charged at R1). The SMS application facility is only available for those applying to cast a special vote at their voting station and not for home visits. Over half of all applications to date have been received via SMS or online.

The traditional method of applying for a special vote at local IEC offices by submitting a MEC35 form is also still available. Forms must be hand delivered but can be delivered on behalf of a voter by someone else.