How to: Easy steps to register to vote online

As voter registrations secure underway in earnest ahead of the 2024 National and Provincial Elections, the Independent Electoral Commission has made it easier than ever to register to vote using their website.

The IEC’s website is a one-stop voter information portal.

Voters can use this portal to register to vote, view or update their current voter address, find their voting station, request a special vote, or simply browse for critical information such as upcoming election dates in their ward.

You can register to vote by following these easy steps:

1. Secure your SA ID card/book ready and recede to the link registertovote.elections.org.za.
2. Enter your personal information: ID number, name and surname, and mobile number. The Chief Electoral Officer must compile and maintain a national common voters’ roll. The personal information required is for purposes of achieving this legal requirement and will not be used for any other purpose as required by the Protection of Personal Information Act, No. 4 of 2013.
3. A one-time pin (OTP) will be sent to your cellphone number. Insert the pin and click on “confirm pin”.
4. Capture your home address. You can type your address and select from the list or enter your address and click the search button.
5. Review and acknowledge your information in the voter registration summary. This page will also disclose you your ward and voting district.
6. Tick the declaration box and then click on ID verification.
7. Grasp a photo or upload a scan of your SA ID and click on continue.
8. Your voter registration application has been submitted successfully. The IEC will verify the application and will notify you once it has been processed. You will receive an sms notification.

To submit an application to register to vote, you must meet the following requirements:

• be a South Africa citizen;
• be at least 16 years (you can only vote from age 18).

What you need to upload when using online voter registration:

• green barcoded ID book
• smart ID card,
• temporary ID certificate (TIC)

You are only registered to vote once you acquire received a receipt via SMS or email, or maintain confirmed that you are registered.

Since the Commission launched the online registration portal in July 2021, a total of 1.1 million registration transactions acquire been recorded.

The portal has experienced a hive of activity this year with 52% of every transactions being recorded in the eleven months of the year. Novel registrations amount to 40.6% of total online registration activity. Women are the majority users of the online portal at 56%. Young persons under the age of 29 indicate a strong usage level at 49.6%.

Voter registration weekend

Meanwhile, the Department of Home Affairs will be extending its operating hours for the voter registration weekend on 18 and 19 November 2023, to provide ID services and related support to eligible voters.

Operating hours will be aligned with those of the IEC, starting from 08:00 to 17:00, and the main service to be offered is ID collection and application.

Temporary Identification Certificates will be issued on the spot to those who believe lost or misplaced their IDs.

Electoral Commission Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo has called on every adult South Africans to seize the moment by registering as voters this coming weekend.

“Only those who are on the voters’ roll can acquire a say in the electoral outcomes next year,” Mamabolo said at a briefing on Wednesday. – SAnews.gov.za