The final voter registration weekend ahead of the upcoming local government elections was a success, with strong logistical performance recorded across the country. As a contribution to the success, over 20 000 voting stations were opened during the registration weekend and almost all stations opened on time.
The voter registration drive is there to ensure that eligible South Africans are added to the list of voters, while allowing registered members to verify and revise their details ahead of the November elections.
Sy Mamabolo, IEC Chief Electoral Officer, stated that the Commission was pleased with the overall performance of the registration weekend, especially regarding logistical arrangements and the deployment of personnel.
“We are quite happy with the overall performance of the system in relation to the logistical arrangements and the human capital that was working. In terms of the quantitative yield of registration, we are finalising our analysis of the data,” Mamabolo said.
Mamabolo also confirmed that 1.7 million transactions were registered during the final voter registration weekend. 291 000 people, representing 16%, were first time registers, while 1.5 million (or 84%) were active voters who verified and updated their registration information.
According to Mamabolo, KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest voter registration activity during the weekend, followed by Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
The IEC’s online voter registration portal remains open, even though the in-person registration weekend has concluded, this will allow citizens to register, update their details and check their voting station details.
The next phase of the electoral timetable that the Commission will shift its focus on includes candidate nominations, certification of the voters’ roll and other preparations leading up to Election Day on the 4th of November.
“This will mark the start of key electoral milestones, with important dates, timelines and processes set to guide preparations ahead of Election Day in November,” Mamabolo explained.
