In this day and age, casting your vote on election day is not just a case of going to your voting station, presenting your ID and making your mark on the ballot papers. In this selfie-obsessed, trigger-fingered age of social media, there’s much more to it.
So, when you go vote in South Africa’s sixth democratic Municipal Elections on Monday (yes, election day is a Monday), 1 November, remember:
DO…
- Respect other voters and election and party officials. It’s a special day for all South Africans!
- Feel free to show your party support by wearing a party T-shirt, or any other clothing or accessories with party slogans. Only party agents may not wear such items inside the voting station.
- Mark each ballot paper only once; and make sure that your mark makes your intention clear.
- Make sure your ballot papers have been stamped by our officials before putting your marked ballots in the ballot box, or else they won’t be counted.
- Leave the voting station knowing that you’ve done your bit for democracy in South Africa.
- Remember to take a selfie (or better yet, a thumb selfie) and share it with family and friends on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok with the hashtags #Ivoted #ProudlySA #InkthumbSA to show you’ve made your mark, and encourage them to do so too!
BUT DON’T…
- Don’t go to your voting station without wearing a mask. If you don’t have a mask or face cover, election officials will refuse you entry to the voting station and you will not be able to vote.
- Don’t try and vote in a voting station where you are not registered to vote. In municipal elections you must vote where you are registered to vote, because it’s about electing someone to represent your community, afterall!
- Don’t interfere with a voter’s right to secrecy when they are voting – that’s why there’s a rule about no photos or selfies of marked ballots inside the voting station.
- Don’t prevent someone from speaking to other voters. Political campaigning in large gatherings stops at midnight on 31 October, but parties and candidates can still speak to voters outside the boundaries of a voting station – just look for the IEC tape.
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Brought to you by the Electoral Commission of South Africa