Elections are in less than a week: All you should know

Here is everything you should know about the 2024 Elections next week. 

On 29 May 2024, South Africans will again get an opportunity to exercise their crucial right to vote in the 2024 National and Provincial elections, which marks the country’s seventh democratic elections.

HOW IT WORKS ON THE DAY OF VOTING: 

• On election day, go to the voting station where you’re registered (check your voter registration status to find out where you’re registered). During national and provincial elections, you can vote at any station countrywide. If you vote at a station outside the province you are registered in, you will only be able to vote in the national election.
• Show the voting officer your green, bar-coded South African ID book or a temporary identification certificate.
• The voting officer checks that your name appears on the voters’ roll. If you are not on the voters’ roll, but have proof that you have registered (e.g. registration sticker), the Presiding Officer must validate your proof of registration. If satisfied with the proof, you must complete a VEC4 form (national elections) or MEC7 form (municipal elections) and will then proceed as an ordinary voter.
• Once the voting officer confirms that you possess the correct ID, are a registered voter, and have not already voted, they mark your name off the roll, stamp your ID on the second page, and ink your thumbnail.
• The voting officer stamps the back of the correct number of official ballot papers (one per Election) and gives them to you.
• Take your ballot paper to an empty ballot booth, mark it, fold it so that your choice isn’t visible, and place it in the ballot box.
• In these elections, voters will receive three ballot papers: the national compensatory ballot for political parties, provincial and regional ballots for parties and independent candidates. We wish to remind voters to make only one mark against the party or candidate of their choice. In other words, “One ballot, One Mark”. 

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU MADE A MISTAKE ON THE BALLOT PAPER? 

• If you incorrectly mark a ballot paper and realise this before placing the paper in the ballot box, just ask the Presiding Officer for a new ballot paper. 
• Please ensure to mark the incorrect ballot paper as “cancelled”.
• Once you deposit your ballot in the ballot box, it becomes irremovable.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reminds South Africans that you can only vote once in each Election.

DO YOU WANT TO LOG A COMPLAINT? 

Click here to log a complaint or see more information below: 

SUBMIT COMPLAINTS REGARDING ALLEGED BREACHES OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT TO THE ELECTORAL COURT OR THE DIRECTORATE FOR ELECTORAL OFFENCES.

You can contact the Secretary of the Court, Ms. Annerie Vorster, at:

• Email: Avorster@sca.judiciary.org.za / Annerievorstersca@gmail.com
• Telephone: (051) 492-4665
• You can reach the Electoral Commission’s Directorate for Electoral Offences via email at legalservices@elections.org.za.