The Electoral Commission has concluded the revision of voting district boundaries in an effort to increase voter access in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
As a result, some new voting districts have been created, others have been disestablished, while some existing voting districts have changed shape.
The revision of voting district boundaries, a process known as re-delimitation, has given rise to 23 296 voting districts, compared to 23 148 for the 2021 Municipal Elections – an increase of 148 voting districts, or 0,6%.
“This increase in voting districts, however slight, implies increased access and convenience to voting for voters,” said Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo in a statement.
Unlike wards, voting districts are not political boundaries, but are the creation of the Electoral Commission for the purposes of electoral efficiency and planning.
Mamabolo said the Electoral Commission will embark on a campaign of targeted communication and re-registration of voters affected by the voting district boundary changes on Monday, 2 October 2023.
The campaign will continue until Friday, 27 October 2023, ahead of voter registration for the forthcoming elections.
By law, eligible voters must be registered in the voting district in which they ordinarily reside in order to participate in elections.
“Nationally there are 1 925 affected voting districts identified for this campaign, the majority of which are in KwaZulu-Natal (774), the Eastern Cape (332) and Limpopo province (296),” said Mamabolo.
The targeted communication and re-registration of voters affected by the voting district boundary changes will be done by a combination of methods, including trained fieldworkers walking from house to house in certain affected voting districts, and the use of direct messaging with affected voters via SMS and other digital channels to inform them of the need to re-register in their new voting districts.
“Our fieldworkers, identifiable by identification card and vest clearly marked with IEC branding, will be equipped with voter management devices (VMDs) to re-register voters on the spot,” Mamabolo said.
Where voters are not home, a flyer will be dropped off communicating details of their new voting district and station, the national registration weekend dates, and also directing them to the Voter Portal where they can self-register online 24/7.
Voters are encouraged to check their voter registration status on the Electoral Commission’s Voter Portal.
Visit www.registertovote.elections.org.za or scan the QR code in the banner below, or SMS your ID number to 32810 to get a notification of the current voting district and station on record for you.
When you visit the Voter Portal or use the SMS line, your registration details will be displayed, including your voting district and station. If you have moved to a new home, you are most likely in a different voting district.
“We appeal to voters that if your voting district has indeed changed, it is important that you re-register in your new voting district to ensure that your name appears on the voters’ roll segment for your voting district on Election Day,” Mamabolo said.
The Electoral Commission will host the first registration weekend for the 2024 Elections on 18-19 November 2023, when all voting stations will be open from 8am to 5pm on both the Saturday and Sunday. – SAnews.gov.za
