Tomorrow (7 May 2014), South Africans – young and old – will take to their respective voting stations where they will exercise their democratic right to vote.
With voting stations set to open at 7am and close at 9pm, the Independent Electoral Commission has assured South Africans that it is ready and prepared for tomorrow’s national elections. As of today (Tuesday May 6, 2014), the IEC’s website indicated that a total of 25,362,221 South Africans are registered to vote. A total of 13,924,551 females are registered to vote while 11,437,670 males are registered to vote in this year’s elections.
More young South Africans have registered to vote in this election than ever before. The biggest segment of voters is those aged 30 to 39 (6.18-million), followed by 20 to 29-year-olds (5.7-million).
Voter “Selfies”
While elections may bring much excitement to many, perhaps prompting one to take a picture of themselves participating in democracy, the IEC is discouraging “selfies” in voting booths, saying that this spoils the secrecy of the vote. A “selfie” is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital
camera or camera phone. “It is an offence to take and/or publish photographs which reveal a person’s vote on a ballot paper – even if that vote is your own. Upon conviction, offenders will be liable to a fine or a term of imprisonment not exceeding one year,” said the organisation.
Apps
For those who are tech savvy and want up to date information on the voting results, the IEC has released three mobile apps on its website. The IEC app for phones and tablets provides personal voter and general election information. The second app is a game called IXSA aimed at young voters. It allows users to follow a character through election day, facing typical challenges. The game is free for download for Android and Apple and can be played on Facebook. The third app is aimed at media and political parties to run up-to-date election information on their own platforms straight from the IEC.
Voting By Numbers
– 22 263 voting stations
– 25,362,221 South Africans registered to vote
– Over 62 million ballot papers
– About 4 563 area managers appointed to oversee voting activities within district areas. Along with permanent IEC staff, this brings to approximately 218 000 staff working on the elections.
– 450 computers
– 300 telephone points
– More than 20km of fibre optics and data cabling
– 800 electrical plug points
– Generators for power back-up
– Facilities for 29 political parties
– Wi-fi capable of handling 200 concurrent users
For more information on voting districts and stations, open this hypelink: https://www.elections.org.za/content/Voters-Roll/About-voting-districts-and-stations/
– Sinegugu Ndlovu
Pictured: Excited first-time voters, Cici Cele and Megan Samuels. Both first-year Clothing Management students at DUT, they are all set to make their votes count tomorrow.
