Pretoria - Applications for special votes for the 18 May local government elections will start on 15 April, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chief electoral officer, Adv Pansy Tlakula, announced on Friday.
Briefing reporters on the IEC's countdown to the 2011 municipal elections shortly after the IEC consultative meeting with political parties on the election timetable, Tlakula said special votes will take place two days before Election Day.
Applications for special votes will close on 3 May at 5pm. This is the first time the IEC introduces special votes for local elections since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
Tlakula said registered voters who qualify and whose applications were considered for special votes will casts their votes in the voting district where they are registered from 8am until 5pm.
However, she said on 17 May, IEC officials will embark on home visits for registered voters who qualify to cast special votes and these include heavily pregnant women and those who cannot walk to their nearest voting station as a result of poor health.
The IEC on Friday also published the election timetable in the government gazette following their meeting with political organisations' national liaison committee representatives.
Adv also appealed to all organs of civil society to join the IEC in the efforts of the Commission to promote maximum participation in the forthcoming municipal elections.
Young voters are encouraged to follow registration and election developments on the newly created mobile site on mobi.elections.org.za or on twitter on www.twitter/iecloveyoursa, or follow
The voters' roll closed on Thursday following the proclamation of the Election Date by acting Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Nathi Mthethwa.
