More than 27,79 million voters – the highest since the dawn of democracy in South Africa – are eligible to cast their votes in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.

And in the Western Cape a record number of voters have been registered.

The certified voters’ roll of the province for the national and provincial elections of 2024 stands at 3 317 072, and is made up of:. women – 1 838 054. men – 1 479 018

It represents 64,7% of eligible voters in the province and 11,94% nationally.

Of those registered to vote in the Western Cape the age breakdown is:. Under 30 – 452 820. 40 to 49 – 738 268. 30 to 39 – 726 302 . 50 to 59 – 626 854. 60 to 69 – 418 968. 70 to 79 – 209 649. 80+ – 87 015

The province has shown a whopping 77,95% increase in registered voters since 1999, when that figure stood at 1 864 019.

Michael Hendrickse, Provincial Electoral Officer, said the province is steadily working its way to becoming one of the top three provinces for the number of registered voters. “Our efforts are paying off,” he said, “and we can only improve on this from now on. It is encouraging to see that South African citizens want to actively play a part in the country’s democracy.”

Consistent and extensive fieldwork programmes by the IEC through its Outreach Department appear to have paid off. It is continuing these voter-education programmes through campaigns targeting schools, youth and people with disabilities, teaching about democracy, casting ballots and other election-related matters.

Meanwhile, the commission has noticed a worrying trend of misinformation doing the rounds. This has the potential to cause confusion among voters and detract from the organisation’s goal of delivering free and fair elections.

It can take the form of deliberate acts of disseminating incorrect facts in an attempt to discredit the IEC, or as simple as misunderstanding certain aspects of the electoral process.

Another perturbing trend is that, through social media, some disgruntled citizens choose to take unsubstantiated pot-shots at the IEC, setting in motion the perpetuation of untruths, innuendo and conjecture.

Please be reminded that the best way to get the facts is to check any information on official IEC platforms, such as the official website at www.elections.org.za, the social media account or media statements.

Said Hendrickse: “We really want to discourage this kind of behaviour which does more harm than good. Not only for us as an organisation, but it also hampers the unfettered roll-out of our democracy. The spread of lies undermines our democracy.”

Please also remember that for queries all IEC offices are open Monday to Friday, 08:00-17:00. You can also reach the call centre during office hours on 0800 11 8000.

. South Africans voting on Election Day must, as a rule, vote at the voting station of the voting district in which they are registered.

But there is one exception – if, for whatever reason, you cannot vote at your voting station but can do so at a different voting station on Election Day you can notify the IEC beforehand. For such notifications (Section 24A Notification in the Electoral Act) it is now mandatory to give notice in advance if a voter wants to vote at a different voting station on 29 May.

In previous elections voters were able to apply at a voting station to vote at a different voting station on Election Day. This will no longer be allowed, and voters will be turned away if they have not notified the IEC prior to Election Day.

The submission of section 24A notifications of intention to vote at a voting station where not registered, opened on 15 March and closes at 17:00 on 17 May.

“This notification system will go a long way towards ensuring a seamless voting process on 29 May,” said Hendrickse. “We ask voters to abide by this change to the Electoral Act, so they are not disappointed on Election Day.

So whether you’re working or have plans to be outside the district where you are registered, make use of this process.

important to note

. If you intend casting a vote at a voting station where you are not registered, but are within the province, you will receive all three ballots (national, regional and provincial). If you intend casting your vote at a voting station outside the province where you are registered you will receive only the national ballot.. Even if you applied to vote at another voting station, but your plans have changed you can still vote at your original registered voting station.

you can notify the iec by

. using the online portal at www.registertovote.elections.org.za . visiting your local IEC office in person weekdays during business hours and submitting an application.

If you want to know your voting station send your ID number to sms 32810 (R1/sms) or send Hi on WhatsApp 060 088 0000.

Also remember, for queries all our IEC offices are open Monday to Friday, 08:00-17:00. You can also reach our call centre during office hours at 0800 11 8000.