Elections 2024: More South Africans abroad could still vote

If you missed the chance to re-register but you were previously registered and you live abroad then you can still ensure you are able to vote.

South Africans living abroad who did not take up the opportunity to re-register themselves to change their voting station to their nearest foreign mission abroad, prior to the Voters’ Roll closing on 23 February 2024 still have the opportunity to notify the IEC of their intent to vote.

Step 1: Click on ‘check my registration status’, enter your ID and check if you’re on the voters roll & to which voting station you’re registered.

Step 2: If you are registered to vote at your nearest voting station/foreign mission then great, just bring your ID on voting day (no passport required – this information has been confirmed by IEC to the SAPeople website).

Overseas voting will only take place in person at your nearest foreign mission on either Friday, 17 May OR Saturday, 18 May (we are awaiting the final list of which missions will be open on which of the two dates from DIRCO/IEC).

As overseas voting is deemed a special vote those abroad cannot vote on any other day or by any other means.

Step 3: If you’re registered elsewhere then submit the VEC10 out of country notice form on the IEC website homepage.

It won’t change your voting station on the IEC voters roll but you should receive an email within an hour informing you that they’ve received your VEC10 – keep this safe/bring with on voting day just incase your name isn’t on the voters’ roll on voting day at the mission where you intend to vote.

The deadline to submit the VEC10 form is midnight on 22 April 2024.

You may submit as many VEC10 forms as required, the last form you submit will be the voting station to which your details will be registered.

Here is the link to submit the online VEC10 form.

It’s a good idea to print or at least take a screenshot of the VEC10 email, just incase there’s a lack of internet or wifi access within any of the foreign mission buildings.

In particular, the planned layout for London will be in the downstairs section where internet access is intermittent.  

Step 4: If you intend on voting in South Africa on 29 May then you need to fill in a Section 24a form online to notify IEC of which voting station in SA you’ll be voting at.

Similarly, those in SA who need to change their voting station must also submit a Section 24a form.

The deadline to submit this form is midnight on 17 May 2024.

Similarly to the rules for the VEC10 form, you may submit as many Section 24a forms as you need to, but the last form you submit will be the voting station you are assigned to.

Here is the link to the Section 24a form.

Step 5: If you cannot vote abroad on 17/18 May nor in SA on 29 May but will be in SA on 27 or 28 May then you can apply for a special vote for these days.

Special vote application is available 15 April to 3 May 2024.

The application form will be available on the IEC’s website.

Other key information:

We are aware that some foreign missions have incorrectly advertised as being open for voting on both days.

We are also aware that at least three missions in Europe have chosen the Friday, 17 May which is not in line with the intention that the chosen date should be based on the dominant religious and cultural practices of the host country.

It is believed that the option for the two dates should primarily be for those in Islamic countries to vote on Friday, 17 May and all others to be voting on Saturday, 18 May.

Please note that neither DIRCO nor the IEC have officially issued a final list of which dates the foreign missions will be open and we are waiting a further update from the IEC on this matter.

Given the high number of voters for the United Kingdom, we have also asked if the SA High Commission would consider opening on both days.

We have also queried why overseas voting is only 07:00 to 19:00 (as outlined in the official election schedule).

In 2014 those abroad could vote until 21:00.

In 2019, as it was a Saturday and on the request from the Jewish community for religious reasons, we are led to believe that overseas voting was until 23:30.

In South Africa voting is until 21:00.

We are aware that this limitation could deny many abroad from voting for religious, work or other reasons such as limited access to voting and distance required to travel to their nearest foreign mission.

For those abroad who may be unable to get to their nearest foreign mission between 07:00-19:00, it is worth submitting a request to the IEC for extended hours until 23:30.

For those in London, we are expecting to meet with the SA High Commission within the coming week for an update on their plans.

London is expected to be the biggest voting station for the entire election with almost 20 000 registered to vote at the High Commission so far.

SA House is in the process of liaising with Westminster Council for road closure plans to allow for queuing.

The staff at SA House have been very engaging and they are aware of the pressure to minimise the queue and waiting time and thus have made changes to their original plans to try their best to help ensure a smooth voting experience.

They are also making allowance for access for those with special needs and we will continue to liaise with them and keep you updated.

Latest figures:

At the closure of the Voters Roll on 23 February there was approximately 58 000 registered to vote abroad.

As of 24 March, the total registered to vote out of country is 66 027 and broken down as follows:

Europe – 38 859

Asia – 10 913

Africa – 6 300

North America – 5 102

Oceania – 4 704

South America – 149

*Figures issued by the IEC to the SAPeople website

With the Electoral Amendment Bill presenting a number of changes, it’s important that everyone wishing to vote ensures they are registered to the voting station where they intend to vote at.

Voters are ONLY allowed to vote where they are registered, or where they’ve notified the IEC by means of submitting the VEC10 form by 22 April 2024 or Section 24a form by 17 May 2024.

All voters must ensure they have their physical ID book or smartcard with them on voting day, whether in SA or abroad.

If you have any questions about overseas voting, please WhatsApp Hayley Reichert on +447402929754