CONCLUSION OF SUCCESSFUL SPECIAL VOTING OUT-OF-COUNTRY

The Electoral Commission expresses gratitude to South Africans who cast special votes in missions around the world.

Special votes are by their nature designed to ensure that special measures are put in place to make certain that citizens who would otherwise not be able to vote have opportunities to do so. Such special measures have been implemented between 17 and 18 May 2024 in 111 South African missions across the world to facilitate voting by around 78 000 citizens.

The arrangements would not be possible without the support of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the dedication of the staff of the department and heads of missions around the world. The staff of the department were particularly singled out for appreciation by the Chairperson of the Commission Mr Mosotho Moepya “for going above and beyond their daily call of duty to facilitate the enjoyment of the dividends of democracy by citizens abroad”.

Appreciations are also due to voters who in some instances had to endure intemperate weather, wait in queues for extended periods, and travel significant distances. In many stations, a steady flow of voters was reported throughout the day with some missions only closing some two hours beyond their scheduled operating hours. Notwithstanding, voters still expressed gratitude on social media and other platforms for the seamless voting experience and level of service they received at stations.

The Commission confirms that overall, special voting abroad proceeded smoothly with no major incidents. This is a testament to the meticulous logistics, planning, and execution of those plans across all missions.

The mission in London is the only voting station that will remain open today, Sunday, 19 May 2024 until 21h00 in order to cater for the more than 24 000 voters who are registered and approved to vote at that mission.

At this stage, any reports on voter turn out should be treated as unconfirmed. Analysis of the reports would be speculative. The ballots may only be counted after the close of voting stations in the country on 29 May. Only then may the Commission communicate definitively on turnout for the election.

All ballots cast as well as unused ballot papers from all the 111 missions, will now be transported via a secure channel back to the country. The necessary verifications and counting of the ballots will take place in the presence of representatives of contestants and observers.

With overseas voting completed, the Electoral Commission turns its attention to preparations for the in-country special voting which will take place two days before election day on May 27 and 28. There are 1,7 million approved special votes. 653 000 of these are home visit special votes while just over 1 million are voting station special votes. In all, there is at least a single approved special vote in 22 626 of the total 23 292 network of voting stations.

Voters are urged to check their registration details and confirm the location of their correct voting stations ahead of election day by using the following channels:

Online at http://www.elections.org.za/pw/Voter/Voter-Information
SMSing their ID number to 32810 
Contact centre on 0800 11 8000.
The IEC APP downloadable from AppStore
The Electoral Commission re-emphasises the general principle that voters may only vote at a voting station at which they are not registered if they have pre-notified the Commission. The period of pre-notification closed on Friday 17 May 2024. With capturing yet to be completed, indications are that at least 387 000 voters have pre-notified the Commission of their intention to vote at another identified voting station. These voters will cast their ballots on 29 May 2024.


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