Thousands of SA Expats Who COULD Vote are Unaware of VEC10
Tens of thousands of expats who made the effort to register, often in cities far from where they live, will not be able to vote in the forthcoming South African Election because they are unaware that they have to fill in an online VEC10 form notifying the IEC of their intention to vote abroad. A few […]
Tens of thousands of expats who made the effort to register, often in cities far from where they live, will not be able to vote in the forthcoming South African Election because they are unaware that they have to fill in an online VEC10 form notifying the IEC of their intention to vote abroad.
A few days ago SAPeople posted a reminder on Facebook to expats that there were only six days left before the 12 March 2014 deadline, by which time all online VEC10 forms must be submitted.
The response was overwhelming, with one expat summing up the confusion with “What’s this about six days left? I have registered to vote and the high commission in Ottawa said that was it. I needed to do no more until the election. Now all of a sudden we have six days? Are we able to vote or not? I wish they would make up their minds.”
Plus Thousands of Expats don’t realise they ARE Registered to Vote
There are also thousands of expats who COULD vote, but think they are not registered. Please check. You may already be registered from a previous election in South Africa – in which case you can now fill in the online VEC10 form in order to vote in the forthcoming election.
So here’s the lowdown for South Africans Abroad who wish to Vote:
Election Date for South Africans Abroad – 30 April 2014
Please mark 30 April 2014 in your calendar. This is different to the date when those in South Africa will vote (7 May 2014).
South Africans Abroad MUST Fill in the VEC10 Form by 12 March 2014
No VEC10 = No Vote for South Africans Abroad.
You need to fill in the VEC10 form on the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) website by midnight (UTC +2:00) on 12 March 2014, informing the IEC of your intention to vote abroad and indicating where you would like to vote.
Only 14,251 South Africans abroad have submitted the VEC10 form so far, which seems pretty low considering how many South Africans live abroad. Please don’t waste this opportunity to have your say in South Africa’s future.
Important Info for South Africans Abroad on Voting Day (30 April 2014)
- In order to vote you must be registered – check here. AND…
- You must have BOTH a valid SA ID book (or valid Temporary Identity Certificate) and SA passport (or temporary passport).
- You can only vote in-person at your nearest South African Embassy, High Commission or Consulate on the specific day announced for overseas voting (30 April).
- And of course, if you haven’t submitted your VEC10 form then you can’t vote.
Sign the Petition for more Voting Stations
For those outside South Africa, it has been an incredibly difficult and complicated task trying to exercise their right to vote, with very few registering and voting stations made available to expats. For example, in the whole of Australia, expats can currently only vote in Canberra – that’s over 3,700 km away from Perth!
In signing this petition you indicate your commitment to cast your vote in the 2014 General Election, should you have reasonable access to a voting station. When the DA delivers the petition, the location of the signatories will indicate where the voting stations should be allocated.
More Info
If you still have any queries on how to cast your vote abroad in elections 2014
- Call the IEC call centre on 0800 11 8000 (+27 11 654 1000 for calls from outside South Africa) from 08h00 to 17h00 (UTC+02:00).
- Follow VoteHomeSA on Facebook or Twitter or their website.
- Email info@votehome.org
Please help spread the word all your South African family and friends abroad.