IEC Western Cape encourages prisoners to register to vote

CAPE TOWN - The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in the Western Cape is encouraging prisoners to register to vote, in line with a 1999 Constitutional Court ruling. 

The provincial electoral head, Michael Hendrickse, said the commission has been on a voter education drive at correctional centres across the province to inform inmates of their democratic right to vote.

The commission is also encouraging families of prisoners to ensure they have their identity documents to allow them to meet registration requirements.

ALSO READ: Political analysts weigh in on 2024 elections: 'I don't see a major overhaul' 

“When we register a prisoner, we register them against the address when they are not in prison, in other words where they are ordinarily registered irrespective of where you are held on the assumption that you may come out before election day you will vote like anybody else then.”

With 34 prisons in the Western Cape, Hendrickse explained how and where prisoners would vote on the day. 

“On election day, a team will go to each prison and obviously only those who are registered will then be allowed to cast their vote. Those ballots are then taken and then added to the votes of the district in which the prison is situated.”