IEC sets special voting dates
Nthambeleni Gabara
23 February 2009
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced special voting dates for South Africans who cannot travel to voting stations due to physical infirmities or because they are temporarily out of the country on Election Day, 22 April.
"Only certain categories of voters qualify to cast a special vote on 20 and 21 April within the country or on the 15 April at the South African missions abroad," IEC Chief Electoral Officer Pansy Tlakula said in Pretoria this week.
According to Tlakula, South Africans who qualify for a special vote include people with physical infirmity, disability and pregnancy. South Africans also qualify if they are absent due to government service abroad, being an election official, or being a member of the security services performing an election duty.
"Being temporarily absent from the country for the purpose of a holiday, a business trip, attending a tertiary institution, on an educational visit or participating in an international sports event [also qualifies one for a special vote]," she said.
Special voting
Potential voters in the category of physical infirmity, disability and pregnancy can apply either between 1 April to 14 April at the office of the Municipal Electoral Officer or on 20 April between 9am and 5pm at the office of the Presiding Officer of the voting district in which they are registered.
Tlakula said if potential voters found themselves in hospital in a different town or city, they should apply between 1 and 14 April at the municipal electoral office of the town in which the hospital is situated.
She said IEC officials would visit such voters on 20 and 21 April at the venue indicated on their application to enable them to cast their votes.
Election officials, members of the security forces performing election duty as well as South Africans who will be outside the borders of the country and who indicated that they wanted to vote before departure, can apply and vote on 20 and 21 April between 9am and 5pm at the office of the presiding officer of the voting district in which they have registered.
South Africans temporarily abroad
South Africans who will be temporarily out of the country on Election Day - on holiday, a business trip, attending a tertiary institution, participating in an international sports event - are required to notify the chief electoral officer of their intention to vote.
Such people will have to specify whether they want to cast a special vote or want to vote at a specified South African foreign mission abroad on 15 April. They can do this by completing a VEC10 form, which is available on the IEC website, and deliver the completed form to the IEC not later than midnight on 27 February.
Source: BuaNews
