The Electoral Commission reminds voters that applications for special votes for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections will close on 3 May 2024. It is important to note that there are two categories of special votes affected by the deadline tomorrow.
The first relates to home visits for those registered voters who are infirm or have impaired mobility. Such voters may apply to be visited at home or a place of confinement.
The second category of special votes is available to any registered voter who wishes to vote early at their voting station.
The Commission reiterates that there is no automatic age-based qualification for a special vote. Special votes are available to all voters, but only upon application by the deadline date of 3 May.
Persons who intend to vote by special vote must first apply or cause an application to be submitted on their behalf as follows:
- By sending the identity number of the voter by SMS to 32249 (R1.00 per SMS) for voting station visits only.
- By submitting an Appendix 1B form at the local office of the IEC for a voting station special vote.
- By submitting an Appendix 1A form at the local office of the IEC for a home visit special vote.
Furthermore, the Commission reports that over a million special votes applications have already been approved for these elections. A provincial breakdown of the approved special votes is as follows:
| Province | Home Visits | Voting Station Visits | Total |
| Eastern Cape | 105 631 | 107 917 | 213 548 |
| Free State | 15 629 | 30 913 | 46 542 |
| Gauteng | 62 579 | 168 664 | 231 243 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 65 600 | 138 846 | 204 446 |
| Limpopo | 55 427 | 38 657 | 94 084 |
| Mpumalanga | 17 925 | 58 202 | 76 127 |
| North West | 20 461 | 50 984 | 71 445 |
| Northern Cape | 19 536 | 34 345 | 53 881 |
| Western Cape | 33 743 | 57 930 | 91 673 |
| Grand Total | 396 531 | 686 458 | 1 082 989 |
In terms of the election timetable, both categories of special votes will be conducted will be conducted on 27 and 28 May, from 9am to 5pm.
In the last hours before the applications deadline, the Commission calls on registered voters who wish to vote by special vote to ensure that they submit applications as no late applications can be accommodated. It’s your democracy, own it!
ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Ensuring free, fair and credible elections
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