The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced completion of the candidate listings for the highly anticipated 2024 National and Provincial Elections (NPE2024), setting the stage for the printing of ballot papers. A notable 27.79 million registered voters will now face the novel task of utilising three distinct ballots to elect representatives for both the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures.
Speaking at a media briefing in Centurion, IEC Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, highlighted the innovations following the recent amendment of the Electoral Act in April 2023. He elaborated, “The amendment revised the electoral system to allow independents to contest in the regional tier of the National Assembly and the Provincial Legislatures, introducing a third ballot paper for voters, an approach familiar to local municipalities but novel at this scale.”
Mamabolo outlined that the National Assembly will involve two ballot papers – a national ballot for the proportional representation compensatory 200 seats contested by political parties, and a regional or province-to-national ballot for the 200 seats open to both political parties and independent candidates.
“This dual-election system enables voters to elect a preferred party or independent on the regional ballot, while separately choosing a party for the provincial elections on a single provincial ballot,” detailed Mamabolo.
He further explained the structure of the ballots: the national ballot listing political parties vying for the National Assembly’s 200 seats, the regional or province-to-national ballots for political parties and independent candidates per province, and the provincial ballots tailored for each province’s legislative seats.
In a bid to foster clarity and ease for voters, the ballots will feature specific identifiers including the full registered name of parties, photographs of party leaders, and, in the case of independents, their names, photographs, and the label “INDEPENDENT”.
The IEC is also introducing the Universal Ballot Template (UBT) to assist voters with disabilities, including those who are blind, partially sighted, dyslexic, or have motor and neuron conditions. “Our appeal to voters is to remember that only one mark on each ballot is permitted, to avoid spoiling their vote,” urged Mamabolo.
Additionally, voters are reminded of the necessity to vote within their registered districts, with provisions in place for those needing to vote outside their district on Election Day, 29 May 2024, to submit a Section 24A notice by 17 May 2024.
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