Overseas election registration for South Africans opens TODAY
If you’re foreign-based and hoping to vote in the 2024 National Elections, here are details for overseas election registration for Saffas.
Starting today and running for the rest of the weekend, overseas election registration opens for all South Africans. According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), nearly 20 000 South African citizens living abroad have already begun the overseas election registration process online.
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Sy Mamabolo the Chief Electoral Officer, spoke this week on the IEC’s readiness for overseas election registration. The registration window opens today (Friday 26 January 2024) and runs to Sunday 28 January 2024.
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OVERSEAS ELECTION REGISTRATION
“The Electoral Commission has enabled online registration for the first time to allow South Africans outside the country to easily register for the forthcoming 2024 National Wlections,” said Mamabolo.
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So far, the countries with the highest election registration are:
- UK – 5 900
- Netherlands – 1 800
- UAE – 1 068
- US – 821
- Germany – 746
- Ireland – 675
- China 515
- Australia – 588
- New Zealand – 314
- Cuba 293
- Portugal – 284
- Belgium – 280
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In Africa, overseas election registration looks like so:
- Mauritius – 316
- Lesotho – 224
- Namibia – 148
- Botswana – 170
- Zambia- 96
- Zimbabwe – 77
- Kenya – 73
- Ghana – 45
- Tanzania – 40
RECORD TURNOUT ANTICIPATED
Approximately 21 000 overseas-based South Africans voted in 2019, and the commission hopes the introduction of online registration system will attract more citizens living abroad. If you are living abroad and cannot use the online portal for whatever reason, citizens may register as voters in-person at their nearest South African mission, embassy and consulate.
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What do you think of overseas election registration for South Africans? Are you foreign-based and hoping to vote in the 2024 National Elections? Be sure to share your thoughts with our audience in the comments section below. And don’t forget to follow us @TheSANews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest updates.