Your ballot will be spoilt – if you fill it in like this
As South Africa holds its seventh democratic elections this week, voters will for the first time receive three ballot papers instead of two ballots.
A MISMARKED BALLOT PAPER CAN END UP MUTING YOUR DEMOCRATIC VOICE
The Electoral Commission (IEC) has urged voters to carefully review and mark each of these three ballot papers before depositing them into the ballot box.
“Our appeal to voters is to remember that they can only put one mark on each ballot, more than one mark will result in a spoiled vote and not counted.
“The Universal Ballot Template (UBT), whose dimensions are benchmarked against the longest ballot paper will be available in all voting stations. The UBT can be used by blind and partially sighted people, low-vision users, people who are dyslexic, and people with motor and neuron conditions which do not allow for a steady hand,”
IEC Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sy Mamabolo says.
MILLIONS OF SOUTH AFRICANS WILL BE VOTING TOMORROW
South Africans will go to the polls on 29 May 2024 to vote for leaders in government for the seventh administration.
The 27.79 million registered voters will receive three ballot papers to elect candidates to represent them in the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures.
The use of the three ballots follows the amendment of the Electoral Act, which was signed into law in April 2023.
“This amendment revised the electoral system to allow independent candidates to contest in the regional (province-to-national) tier of the National Assembly and the Provincial Legislatures.
“Although the phenomenon of three ballots will be familiar to voters in various local municipalities, it will be new to voters in metropolitan areas and for the first time in general elections for national and provinces,” Mamabolo said.
YOU CAN ONLY PUT ONE MARK ON EACH BALLOT
Strange enough, thousands of people still register a spoilt vote in every election.
According to the IEC a spoilt vote a common occurrence.
For this reason, the IEC has made it even easier, you can now see an example of what the ballot in your area will look like tomorrow. Click here.
If you incorrectly mark a ballot paper and realise this before placing the paper in the ballot box, just ask the Presiding Officer for a new ballot paper. Please make sure that the incorrect ballot paper is marked as “cancelled”.
Once your ballot has been placed in the ballot box, it can’t be removed.
WHAT IS A SPOILT VOTE:
Any writing across the names of the listed parties
The empty box is the one place where you’re allowed to make your mark.
CROSSES ONLY. Any attempt to circle or “fill in” a box is a spoilt vote.
Making your cross take up more than one box
Your “X” can only occupy one box. Otherwise, officials can’t count it. They will not tolerate “voter-spreading”
Additional writing with arrows
Keep your comments to yourself. Any additional information about your vote will not count.
Do not write words in the box.
The box is for crossing only! Any other form of marking will lead to a spoilt vote.
Casting a vote for two parties
If you’ve tried to vote for more than one party during the 2019 Elections, none of your votes will count.
Marking more than one box on the ballot
If you “cross out” the parties you don’t want to vote for, your ballot is null and void. One X, one party. That is all.
Click here to find out what you should bring and what to expect on Election Day.