Sponsored – Ready to vote on 4 November?

Check your registration and voting station from your couch, and know exactly what to expect when you get to the queue

On 4 November, South Africans will choose who runs their local councils. The voters’ roll stands at 29.24 million people, and the Electoral Commission (IEC) says its preparations are on schedule.

The IEC has done its part. Now it’s your turn, and it starts with one simple question: are you registered, and do you know where you vote?

Check before you leave home

Your voting station may not be the one you used last time, so confirm it before election day. There are four easy ways to do it:

• Check on the IEC website at https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Voter/Voter-Information
• WhatsApp 060 088 0000 and choose the “Am I registered” menu to get the same details.
• SMS your ID number to 32810. You’ll get confirmation that you’re registered, your voting station details and your sequence number.
• Call the IEC Contact Centre on 0800 118 000 and speak to someone in your preferred language. They will confirm your voting station and give you your sequence number.

Whichever you pick, take note of your sequence number and save it on your phone. It’s new this year, and it helps. At the voting station, give the number to the election official and they can find your name on the voters’ roll quickly. That means a faster check-in for you and a shorter queue for everyone behind you.

What to bring

You need to be a South African citizen, 18 or older, and registered. Bring one of these: a green barcoded ID book, a valid Temporary Identity Certificate, or your smart ID card.

What happens when you arrive

An official will check your ID at the entrance. At the door, another official scans it with a Voter Management Device, and your name is marked off the voters’ roll. If the roll has no address recorded for you, you’ll be asked for your current residential address. The rule is simple: no address, no ballot paper, no vote. Your left thumbnail is then inked, and you receive your ballot papers.

Know your ballots

How many ballots you get depends on where you live.

In a metro, you’ll get two ballots. The white or grey ward ballot is for your ward councillor. The green ballot is for the party you want on the metro council.

In a local municipality, you’ll get three ballots. You’ll have the same white or grey ward ballot and green party ballot, plus a yellow district council ballot, which is also for a party.

Take your ballots to an empty booth and mark them. Fold each one so your vote stays secret, and drop it in the ballot box. If you need help, the Presiding Officer is there for you.

A few rules that protect your vote

• Make one mark per ballot paper. That’s true no matter how many parties or independent candidates are listed, and it includes the double-column ballots. Mark a ballot more than once and it’s spoiled, which means your vote won’t count. Take a moment and check your ballot before you fold it.
• Don’t take photographs of your marked ballot. Your vote is secret, and it’s not allowed.

Over to you

Every vote counts only if it’s cast and counted correctly. The IEC is working to make sure of the second part. The first part is up to each of us.

So today, send that SMS, make that call or open that WhatsApp chat. It takes about two minutes. Then tell a friend, a parent or a neighbour to do the same, especially anyone who is voting for the first time.

On 4 November, know where you’re going, bring your ID and make your mark. Get Up, Show Up, Vote!

the Electoral Commission of South Africa