MIDRAND - The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has assured voters approved for special votes that they will still get an opportunity to cast their ballots.
This is despite delays on the first day of special voting for the local election, which saw some voting stations report a lack of ballot papers on Monday.
IEC Deputy CEO for electoral operations, Masego Sheburi, said the Commission has implemented measures to ensure efficiency during voting.
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These measures include handheld scanners to speed up and scaling of ID numbers to facilitate the flow of queues, as well as enhanced voter management devices to ensure that they are resilient and up to the task.
Additionally, the commission has also introduced sequence numbers to find a voter on the voter's roll, which ultimately facilitates a quicker flow of voters at the voting station
“No effort is being spared to ensure that the remaining voting stations open and remain operational to afford persons who have been approved to vote by special vote in those voting districts to do so,” Sheburi said.
The Commission has acknowledged the challenges witnessed in Cape Town, which saw 217 voting stations opening later than scheduled on Monday due to a delay in the delivery of ballot papers.
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The IEC attributed the issue to ballot printing and delivery delays but assured that efforts are in place to address delayed voting station openings.
In the meantime, Western Cape Electoral Officer, Michael Hendrickse, said they will honour the IEC’s mandate and make sure every voter exercises their democratic right to cast their vote.