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#Elections2021: IEC urges voters to return to their voting districts despite long weekend

───   06:53 Sun, 31 Oct 2021

#Elections2021: IEC urges voters to return to their voting districts despite long weekend | News Article

The CEO of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa, Sy Mamabolo, has urged voters to return to their voting districts by 17:00 on Sunday afternoon if they have travelled and ensure that they cast their vote.

He has expressed concern about voter turnout in the special voting process this long weekend.

Mamabolo was responding to a question. He was asked about the fact that many people had treated the weekend as a long one and possibly travelled.

“If you have travelled, please do come back to your voting station in time because you won’t be able to vote anywhere else but in the voting district where you are registered, unlike as in national and provincial elections where you will have an opportunity to vote outside of your district. So all those who may have travelled have until Sunday really to travel back to the place where they are registered,” says Mamabolo.


Tselane expects lower voter turnout on Monday

The Executive Chairperson of the Institute of Election Management Services in Africa, Terry Tselane, has predicted a low turnout on election day on Monday.

Tselane says people are going to treat the day as a long weekend and travel to different places which would be out of their voting districts.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)  has kicked off with special votes on Saturday. Gauteng registered over 129 000 applications for special votes at voting stations and through home visits.

Tselane says a different day should have been chosen such as a Wednesday.

“It is likely slightly lower. Once you put the election day on a Monday people take sometimes Friday off knowing that they’ve got now a long weekend where they don’t have to go to work on Monday and it has an impact." 


SABC News

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