How to Register to Vote Online in South Africa
There is a hive of activity taking place in the country ahead of the 2024 National and Provincial elections. Voter registrations are underway and the Independent Electoral Commission has taken it up a notch by opening up their website for online voter registration. This comes as welcome news as it beats standing in queues for voter registration.
Moreover, the online voter registration portal is functional and has proven to be the most effective method. This gives everyone a chance to conveniently update their details ahead of the SA elections. If you are wondering how to go about this, this article will show you how.
How to Register to Vote Online in South Africa
The Independent Electoral Commission is now all hands on deck to ensure that everything is ready for the upcoming elections.
To ensure inclusivity and convenience, online registration has been made available for eligible voters. This can be done via their one-stop voter information portal. The commission launched this portal in July 2021 and has since recorded over 1.1 million registration transactions. In this year alone, 52% of all the transactions have been recorded, with the majority of the users being women and young persons.
Eligible citizens can access this portal and register themselves as voters. Besides registration, you can also view or update your current voter address, request a special vote, find your voting station, or browse for any important election-related information.
To register online as a voter:
- Visit the website https://registertovote.elections.org.za/ ready with your SA ID card.
- Enter your details such as your ID number, mobile number, and name. It is required of the Chief Electoral Officer to compile a national voter’s roll. Hence, your personal information is taken for this purpose, and as a way of achieving the legal requirement—it will not be used for any other purpose.
- You will then receive a one-time pin on your phone. Enter this OTP and click on “confirm pin”.
- Fill in your home address as well—you can type it on the box or select from the list.
- Review and acknowledge your information in the voter registration summary. This page also indicates the ward and voting district.
- Tick on the declaration box and then click on ID verification.
- Upload a scan of your SA ID or take a photo and click on Continue.
- Your voter registration application has been successfully submitted. The IEC will take some time to verify the application and notify you as soon as it’s processed. This will be via an SMS notification.
Also Check: What Will Happen To SASSA Grants If The ANC Loses Power
Who Is Eligible to Register as a Voter?
To apply to register as a voter, you must meet a few requirements according to South African laws.
- Be a South African citizen
- Be at least 16 years old (however, you can only vote from 18)
Besides that, you are required to upload several documents as proof of identity;
- Smart ID card
- Green barcoded ID book
- Temporary ID certificate
It is important to note that you will only be registered to vote once you have received confirmation either via SMS or email.
Also Check: South African 2024 General Election Set To Hold on 29 May
When Do I Have to Re-Register?
There are some instances that will call for you to re-register to vote in the upcoming elections. IEC strives to ensure that voters have a better voting experience and this includes reducing the long queues on the election day and enabling accessibility to voting stations. To achieve this, it urges voters to re-register if and when:
- Your home address changes—your voting district will have to be changed for your convenience.
- You are informed of a change in your voting district boundaries. In this case, you are required to check your voter registration details to find out whether you need to re-register.
Conclusion
For the first time, you can now register to vote online. This has come as great news to South Africans as all eligible voters, including first-time voters, can register or update their registration details online. This ensures that everyone gets to play a part in shaping the future of South Africa.
