The Electoral Commission announces the final preparations for voting by 78 092 citizens out-of-country following the close of applications for special votes abroad. Voting out of country will take place in 111 foreign missions. 

Voting out-of-country will take place on Friday, 17 May, in nine countries, and the rest of the other countries will vote on Saturday, 18 May 2024. Voting stations will be open from 07h00 am to 19h00, allowing 78 092 voters to exercise their right to vote in South Africa’s 2024 National Elections.  

Citizens voting out-of-country will be able to vote at their mission as follows:

• Algiers, Amman, Cairo, Damascus, Jeddah, Kuwait City, Ramallah, Riyadh, and Tehran will vote on Friday, 17 May 2024 between 07h00-19h00.
• The rest of the 102 missions listed in the schedule attached and on the website will be open for special votes on Saturday, 18 May 2024 between 07h00 and 19h00
• In respect of the mission in the United Kingdom, the Commission has determined two days of special voting. These are Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May 2024 from 07h00-21h00. The additional special voting day and extended voting hours are intended to enable proper arrangements for the 24 535 voters entitled to vote at the mission. Similarly, extended voting hours have been prescribed for the missions in Washington DC and New York. The voting hours are 07h00-21h00.

The 10 largest international voting stations by voting population are London (24 535 eligible voters), The Hague (6 659), Canberra (3 674), Dubai (3 266), Dublin (3 040) Wellington (2 292), Abu Dhabi (1 825), New York (1 799), Washington DC (1 799) and Berlin (1 478). 

In collaboration with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) the Electoral Commission has begun the process of shipping voting materials including, voting booths, ballot boxes, ballot papers, stationery packs, and the relevant lists of approved voters, to the 111 South African missions across the world. 

On special voting days, voters will need to present in person at a mission at which they are registered (or where they have successfully applied for a special vote by VEC 10 notice), and will vote as follows:

• Present their identity document (ID) book or smartcard or temporary identity certificate to the election official. 
• The left thumbnail of the voter is marked with indelible ink to indicate that they have voted.
• The name of the voter is marked off the list of voters approved to vote at that mission to indicate that the voter has participated in the election.
• The voter is issued with the national compensatory ballot paper.
• The voter will mark the ballot in secret, and place and seal the ballot in an unmarked envelope
• The unmarked envelope is placed in another envelope that is marked with the name, ID number, and the name of the mission where the vote was cast. The use of two envelopes is to ensure the secrecy of the ballot by delinking the voter and the ballot cast
• Election officials take the envelope and place it in a secure ballot box for special votes.

After the voting process, cast national compensatory ballots will be transported through a secure channel back to the national office of the Electoral Commission for counting. The votes will be counted in the presence of agents representing contestants. 

The Commission thanks all its stakeholders, staff and the staff of DIRCO who are working tirelessly to ensure that all registered voters vote in the 2024 National Elections.

The Commission is aware that voting is not possible in some countries for security reasons.  DIRCO has confirmed that the missions in Sudan, Tel Aviv and Kiev remain closed. Unavoidably and regrettably, voters registered at these three missions will not be able to vote in the forthcoming elections, if they were not able to make arrangements by 22 April to vote at another mission. 

The Electoral Commission will operate extended hours on all voting days abroad to assist voters with queries. It’s your democracy, own it!

ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Ensuring free, fair and credible elections 

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