want to cast their vote abroad
Are you temporarily absent from the Republic -
i. On holiday?
ii. Business trip?
iii. Attending a tertiary institution?
iv. On an education visit? or
v. Participating in an international sport event?
If you answered YES to any of the above and you know that you will not
be in the country on election day, you will be able to apply for a
special vote, and if successful, cast your vote on the special voting
day at your nearest Foreign Mission as stated in the election timetable
in the country you are visiting. The special voting day is normally
scheduled 7 days before the election date. You can call your nearest
Foreign Mission to find out about the special voting day.
What do I need to do?
1) Notify the IEC
You need to notify the chief electoral officer of the following by
completing a VEC 10 form:
I. Your intention to vote;
II. Your intended absence from the Republic; and
III. The place where you intend to cast your vote.
The completed form must be delivered to the Chief Electoral Officer,
either by hand, by post or by facsimile.
ADDRESS OF CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER
Post notifications to:
P O Box 7943,
Pretoria,
0001,
South Africa
Fax notifications to:
012 428 5566
012 428 5279
Hand-delivered notifications to:
Election House,
260 Walker Street,
Sunnyside,
Pretoria.
This must be done within fifteen (15) days after the President has
proclaimed the election.
2) The Chief Electoral Officer will then check whether you are
registered as a voter, and then inform the foreign mission where you
intend to vote, that you may apply for a special vote.
3) You go to the foreign mission where you indicated you wish to
vote (on the VEC 10 form) on the day/s set aside for special votes. Take
your green bar-coded identity document and passport along;
4) At the mission you will apply for a special vote by completing a
VEC1 form and produce your passport to official and in your presence the
voting officer will consider your application;
5) If your application is successful, you must produce your
identity document to the voting officer;
6) Your thumbnail will be marked with indelible ink and you will
receive one ballot for national assembly;
7) Once you have marked the ballot in secret, you must place and
seal the ballot in an unmarked envelope and the unmarked envelope then
get placed in another envelope that is marked outside with your name,
identity number and voting district number; 
The envelopes will be securely sealed and sent to the chief
electoral officer of the IEC. Your vote will be added to all other votes
cast within South Africa.
However, once again, the issue is that South Africans living abroad temporarily (e.g. 2 year working visa people) are EXCLUDED from this process. Which is unconstitutional because all South African adults are guaranteed the right to vote (see South Africans voting from abroad: Who can, who can’t and why not) .
November 24, 2008
Voter Registration Issues