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15 June 2021 Public Awareness: How to register to vote?

Public Awareness: How to register to vote?

Who can register as a voter?

  • You must be a South African citizen.
  • You must have a South African green barcoded identity document (ID), a smart ID card or a temporary ID certiļ¬cate.
  • You must be 16 years or older (but you will only be able to vote when you are 18 years or older).
  • You have to register in person. Nobody can do it for you.

Once you have registered to vote, you do not need to re-register in future elections unless:

  • You have moved house and are living in a different voting district.
  • You have been affected by the re-drawing of the voting district and/or ward boundaries

REMEMBER: If you do not have your green barcoded ID book, a smart ID cardĀ or temporary ID, you need to apply for one at the Department of Home Affairs.

Ā Why should you register?

  • You should register to be included on the national common votersā€™ roll.
  • If you donā€™t register, you cannot vote, and if you donā€™t vote, you are giving up a very important way of making your voice heard.
  • It is your right and responsibility to register.

Where can you register?

  • Register at your local Electoral Commission (IEC) ofļ¬ce from Monday to Friday during ofļ¬ce hours. Registration is ongoing, so you can register at any time, whether an election is taking place or not.
  • Register to vote in person at a registration station in the voting district in which you live. The IEC opens its registration stations during a registration weekend just before general elections.

How does registration work?

When registering at your registration station or local IEC office (using IEC Voter Management Device-VMD) the barcode of your ID book or smart ID card or temporary ID certiļ¬cate will be scanned. This receipt will be SMSed or emailed to you and will show:

  • Proof of application
  • Your ID number
  • The voting district number of your voting station
  • Date and time of your application.

REMEMBER:Ā 

  • You must provide sufļ¬cient details of where you live (a full residential address or a description of where you live) for the IEC to conļ¬rm that you are registering in the correct voting district. Proof of address is not needed.
  • If you give false address information, it is a crime. You could go to jail for up to 10 years.
  • Your ID will be checked when you vote to make sure that it is YOU.

How to check if you are registered and that your votersā€™ roll address is up to date

  • Registration will take no more than 24 hours to process.
  • Check at your local IEC ofļ¬ce from Monday to Friday during ofļ¬ce hours. SMS your ID number to 32810 (R1 per SMS).
  • Go to the IEC website www.elections.org.za and follow the link ā€œAm I registered to vote?ā€
  • Check the votersā€™ roll at your voting station where you are registered to vote during the voter registration weekends.
  • As a registered voter you can visit elections.org.za create a secure proļ¬le for yourself, check, and update or provide your votersā€™ roll address.
  • You can also help family and friends to check; remember you will need their ID number, full name, address and cell phone number or email address to check and update their votersā€™ roll address.
  • Even if you are registered, remember to check that your votersā€™ roll address is up to date.