Deadline day for special voters travelling during the elections

CAPE TOWN - It is deadline day to apply for a special vote to cast your ballot for next month’s elections, outside of the country.

This only applies to those who are registered locally and will be traveling on election day.

The Democratic Alliance recently won an electoral court battle to force government to allow for voting at honorary consulates and not only at embassies.

Voting at foreign missions will take place ten days ahead of general voting in the country on the 17th or 18th of May, depending on the work week of that mission.

But the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has to be notified by midnight of the intention for a locally-registered voter to cast their ballot abroad at a diplomatic mission.

By completing what is known as a Vec10 application, the voter will have to indicate at which diplomatic mission they plan to vote.

This process does not apply to expat South Africans already registered to vote abroad.

All voters outside of the country will only receive a national ballot and won’t be able to cast votes for regional seats or for a provincial legislature.

Applications to cast a special vote in a home visit are also now open until 3 May.

Those who wish to vote at a station other than where they are registered, have until 17 May to submit those applications to the IEC.