In an effort to increase voter access in the 2024 general election, the IEC concluded its revision of voting district boundaries today, Monday, 2 October.
THE EFFECTS OF THE IEC VOTING DISTRICT BOUNDARIES REVISION
This has resulted in some new voting districts being created, while others had to be disestablished, and some existing voting districts were 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%, SA Gov News reports.
“This increase in voting districts, however slight, implies increased access and convenience to voting for voters,” said Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo.
Unlike wards, voting districts are not political boundaries but are the creation of the Electoral Commission for the purposes of electoral efficiency and planning.
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NEW ZONE CHANGES TO BE COMMUNICATED BEFORE ELECTION TIME
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).”
Mamabolo
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HOW THE MESSAGE WILL BE COMMUNICATED
He added that 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.
He explained that 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.
“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.
HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE
Voters are encouraged to check their voter registration status on the Electoral Commission’s Voter Portal by following these steps:
- 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.
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