Irate South Africans React to Voting Texts – “Where Did All Our Addresses Go?”
Several irate South Africans have taken to social media to complain about the fact that after living at the same address for over 20 or 30 years, they are suddenly receiving an SMS from the Electoral Commission (IEC) informing them that the IEC does not have their address. The IEC has been sending the text messages […]
Several irate South Africans have taken to social media to complain about the fact that after living at the same address for over 20 or 30 years, they are suddenly receiving an SMS from the Electoral Commission (IEC) informing them that the IEC does not have their address.
The IEC has been sending the text messages since Thursday in an effort to get voters to register their addresses ahead of the 2016 Municipal Elections.
The messages are being sent to 5.3 million (whose cellphone numbers the IEC has sourced) of the 6.92 million voters for whom the IEC says they do not have addresses. Efforts to reach the remaining 1.6 million voters include radio adverts and other media.
The IEC claim “the initiative follows the Constitutional Court ruling in November last year in the Tlokwe matter that a voter’s address or sufficient particularities of their place of residence were essential to ensure that the voter is registered in the correct voting district.”
Most of those complaining today said they agree with the ConCourt ruling, and that it will prevent a previous problem of voters being ‘bussed’ in from different areas; but they don’t understand why they are receiving the SMS when they have been on the voters roll for years at the same address.
“Why do you suddenly have incomplete addresses? I have been at the same address for 10 years and voted previous occasions with my address. What happened?” asked one furious facebook user. Another said: “Is this a ploy or a trick to remove some of us from the voter role?”
Others have wondered why the IEC left it until Thursday to start sending these messages when this weekend is the last weekend available to visit your voting station and update address details.
One potential voter said: “In order for me to previously have registered I supplied my address. Court ruling or not what happened? How can you now expect everyone to be able to make it to check or register their address over two days?”
In response to the complaints, the IEC cited the recent #ConCourt ruling and said they have “undertaken a review of addresses on the voters’ roll” and discovered “a large number of addresses are missing or incomplete” for the 25 million registered voters.
They said reasons for this could include errors made in capturing the details off the original application forms, and urged South Africans to fill in a REC1 form to update their address details.
One facebook user asked the IEC: “Are you doing this on purpose to make people angry because you have lost in court? Shame on you!”
Another said it “is just unacceptable! I have lived at my address for more than 20 years and during that time have voted many times at my local voting station without there being a problem…It seems obvious that the voters’ roll was not properly prepared. This cannot just be swept under the carpet!”
The IEC replied on Facebook saying: “You are asking a very fundamental question – which is exactly the question on which the Electoral Commission is seeking clarity from the Constitutional Court in our appeal which is scheduled for hearing on 9 May.
“The Electoral Commission strongly believes that being compelled to remove registered voters for whom we do not have addresses in our possession will deny them their Constitutional right to vote. But we await the guidance from the Constitutional Court on this issue – which we hope to receive soon.”
Some have complained that they registered during the last registration weekend and yet still received this sms.
This morning, Saturday, one Auckland Park resident said: “Although I was moaning about the sms, and have lived in the same place for 10 years, I gave in, did what was right and re-registered again early this morning, providing my physical address. We’re blessed to live in a country that honours the Constitution. Please do the same!”
Message for SAPeople followers from the IEC
The Electoral Commission does not have address details for voters who received this message. We understand that voters are frustrated because they have to go to their voting station to update their details now – but there is simply no other way for us to make sure we have the full and complete address details for a voter.
One of the reasons addresses were not previously captured was that prior to 2003 the law did not require the Electoral Commission to indicate an address on the voters’ roll, we only needed it register a person in the correct voting district. After 2003, when the law changed, the Electoral Commission requested addresses but often did not retain them. In the light of recent developments, the Electoral Commission has taken the view that it is best to require addresses for all registered voters to make sure that not a single voter falls through the cracks by error. We now have a more efficient automated (scanning) system to capture the details of registration forms and we hope voters will help us to rectify this situation by providing their addresses.
The REC1 – registration form – has been loaded on to our website and voters can complete, print and then take it with to their voting station. We hope this makes it a little easier.
Please click on the link for the electronic form: https://www.elections.org.za/content/For-Voters/How-to-vote/Complete-Registration-Form-(REC-1)/
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.
For those in South Africa – please check the IEC has your address:
o Online via the Voting Station Finder App at www.elections.org.za
o Via USSD by dial *120*432#
o SMSing your ID number to 32810 (Cost R1)
o Through the Contact Centre on 0800 11 8000
South Africans abroad are unable to vote in these Municipal elections (unless you are in the country to register and to vote).
Voting stations for this final registration weekend are open on Saturday 9 April and Sunday 10 April from 8am to 5pm.
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