Voter-registration drive targets youth

Voting is a matter of civic duty and a democratic privilege, Dr Brigalia Bam, chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), said at a briefing in Centurion on Wednesday.

Young people between the ages of 18 and 19 will be the target of this weekend’s voting registration for the 2011 local government elections. They are estimated to make up 2,1-million of the population. However, only 238 500 of them are registered.

“We urge the young people of our country to turn up in their numbers to register so that they can vote. The youth are the leaders of tomorrow and have a long-term stake in the progress of our country,” said Bam.

The IEC has set a target of 1,5-million new voters during this election period.

Approximately 93% of people who are 30 years or older are already registered voters. Currently, the national total of registered voters is 22 667 881, with Gauteng having the highest number of the provinces at 5 422 557.

Patriotism
The IEC’s slogan for these elections is: “Love Your South Africa”, and it is calling for people to express their patriotism through registering on Saturday and Sunday between 8am and 5pm at the 20 867 voting stations countrywide.

Consideration has been given to the ongoing inclement weather conditions. “Should the situation arise that heavy rainfalls and floods make some registration stations inaccessible, we will give people in those areas another opportunity to register,” said Bam.

The possibility of a second registration date — taking into account any inclement weather conditions and voter-registration targets — will be considered after this weekend’s registration.

The local government elections are expected to be held any time between March 2 and May 30. The actual date will be announced by Sicelo Shiceka, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

Some useful information

Use this weekend to confirm that you are correctly registered by SMSing your ID number to 32810.

You must re-register if your residential address has been affected by demarcation.

You must re-register if you have been affected by the establishment of new ward boundaries.