A total 937 144 voters cast special votes over the course of the last two days, the Electoral Commission said on Tuesday.
“The Electoral Commission extends its gratitude to South Africans who registered for and cast special votes at 22 626 voting stations and home visits over the past two days. At a point in the course of this afternoon indications were that 937 144 voters had been processed,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the Electoral Commission, Sy Mamabolo, said.
At the briefing held at the National Results Operation Centre at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on Tuesday evening, Mamabolo said the figure was much higher than was the case in the previous elections and “augers well for turnout tomorrow”.
This as voters across the country are expected to make their mark at voting stations in the seventh National and Provincial Elections.
“Similarly, we are pleased by the diligence of the electoral staff who visited voters at homes and places of confinement to administer home visits,” Mamabolo said.
He said voters who for whatever reason were unable to cast their special vote on Monday and Tuesday may still vote at the voting station at which they are registered on Election Day, tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the commission expressed concern at incidents of unlawful conduct.
“The commission thanks South Africans who have assisted and cooperated with electoral officials in the execution of their duties.
“However, the commission remains concerned with incidents of unlawful conduct directed at its operations or against electoral officials. Accordingly, we urge all South Africans, including political party members, supporters, and ordinary citizens to allow electoral officials to carry out their responsibilities.
“The commission thanks the law enforcement agencies for their support and continued safeguard of the electoral process,” Mamabolo said.
The lessons and experiences over the two days of special votes will be used to further refine operations to positively impact on voter experience for tomorrow’s election.
The CEO urged voters to show up in their numbers on voting day.
“The commission urges all the remaining 26 million eligible voters to go out and cast their votes tomorrow.
“The network of 23 292 voting stations will open for voting at 07h00 and close at 21h00. It is important to emphasise that eligible voters who will be at the voting station at 21h00 will be allowed to vote and not turned away.
“We reiterate that voters must vote where they are registered. The general rule in elections is that a person votes at a voting station where they have registered,” Mamabolo said.
The only exception to the general rule is that a voter may vote outside of their registered voting district only after notifying the CEO.
“Notifications in this regard closed on May 17. Approximately 360 000 voters have been approved to vote outside their voting districts,” he said.
Tuesday marked the second and last day for the casting of special votes.
READ | Last day for special votes
Out-of-country voting has already taken place at 111 foreign missions, with more than 78 000 South African citizens living in other countries having cast their vote on 17, 18 and 19 May 2024. - SAnews.gov.za
