Voter registration weekendnext month

VOTER registration weekend is on 5 and 6 March for the local government elections. The KZN Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) outreach and communication practitioner Thabani Ngwira said people who have voted in the past, but have changed residence, must re-register in order to vote.

“If you have moved or changed residence, you have to re-register so that your name will appear on the segment of the voters’ roll of your new voting district. Remember these are local government elections, you can only vote where you reside.

“The Electoral Commission is planning only one registration weekend on 5 and 6 March. All voting stations will open from 8am to 5pm. Registration is also an ongoing process at local municipal offices, however, once the election date is proclaimed by the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the voters’ roll will be officially closed for the 2016 local government elections.

“This means that if you are registering for the first time, your name will not appear on the voters’ roll for these elections. If you have moved and you are re-registering, your name will not appear on the segment of the voters’ roll of your new voting district,” said Ngwira.

Ngwira said in the KZN there are 4 795 voting stations and 470 of these voting stations are within UMgungundlovu District Municipality.

“Generally, our registration targets are not linked to an election event, they are linked to a financial year and are increased during the financial year in which an election is held. However, we would like to encourage everyone who has just turned 16, and those who are eligible to vote to register as a voter. As the commission we are targeting youth between ages of 20 and 29 to register as voters for the upcoming local government elections.”

The date for the local government elections is yet to be announced.

“The term of office for the current sitting council is 18 May, 2016. According to the legislation the commission has 90 days, from the 18 May to the 16 August, to hold a general local government election,” he said.

Voter registration facts:

- to vote, you must be registered;

- to register you must be a South African citizen

- you must at least be 16 years old, however you can only vote once you turn 18 years old;

- you must register in the voting district where you are ordinarily resident;

- to register you need a South African green bar-coded identity document, a smart ID or a temporary ID certificate; and

-You must also register in person.