Elections: Top 10 countries with most voter registrations outside South Africa
England leads the way in the top ten countries with the highest number of South Africans who registered to vote.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has released a list of the top ten countries with most registrations for the 2024 General Elections.
South Africa is heading to the polls on 29 May and South Africans abroad are also eligible to vote in the upcoming elections.
TOP TEN COUNTRIES WITH MOST REGISTRATIONS FOR 2024 ELECTIONS
According to the IEC, by law, South Africans abroad can only vote in South Africa’s national elections; they cannot vote in the provincial elections, regional elections for the National Assembly, or municipal elections.
South African citizens who wish to vote in South Africa’s next National Elections must be registered to vote by proclamation of the election date by the President of the Republic (not just the announcement of the election date).
As previously reported by The South African, President Cyril Ramaphosa officially proclaimed 29 May as the election day.
Here are the top ten countries:
| Diplomatic mission/country | Registered population |
| London (England) | 19 525 |
| The Hague (Netherlands) | 5 574 |
| Canberra (Australia) | 2 609 |
| Dubai (United Arab Emirates) | 2 574 |
| Dublin (Ireland) | 2 342 |
| Wellington (New Zealand) | 1 668 |
| Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) | 1 416 |
| New York City (USA) | 1 379 |
| Washington (USA) | 1 228 |
| Berlin (Germany) | 1 188 |
If you live in an Islamic country, you will cast your vote on Friday, 17 May. Everyone else registered to vote outside of South Africa will vote on Saturday, 18 May.
HIGHEST VOTER REGISTRATION SINCE DEMOCRACY
Meanwhile, the IEC announced that over 27 million people registered to vote in the upcoming elections.
The commission said the voter’s roll has shown steady growth of over 35 % percent. It also contains the highest number of registered voters, recording an increase of 9.6 million voters since the 1999 general elections.
Notably, Gauteng leads the way with the highest number of registered voters for the 2024 elections and is followed by KwaZulu-Natal. The Eastern Cape is in third place.
“The highlight of the certified roll is the increase in the rate of representation by persons in the age cohort 18-39 years. This age band accounts for 42% or 11. 7 million voters on the voters’ roll,” IEC Chief Officer Sy Mamabolo said.
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