Final voter registration in Feb

2009-01-23 08:31

Johannesburg - More than 19 000 voting stations will be open countrywide on the weekend of February 7 and 8 for final voter registration, the Independent Electoral Commission announced on Thursday.

"This will be the last registration weekend for voters to register for the 2009 national and provincial elections," IEC chairperson Brigalia Bam said in a statement.

The 19 726 voting stations would be open from 08:00 until 17:00.

Bam urged voters who had changed their addresses to re-register, and those already registered to make sure they were on the correct segment of the voter's roll.

1.6m new registrations

"On the first registration weekend there were 1 648 189 new registrations. This could not have been possible without the mobilisation of new voters by IEC officials, political parties, civil society and the media," said Bam.

She commended the youth for coming out in numbers to register on the weekend of November 8 and 9, 2008. Of those who registered during that weekend, 77.9% were youth, shattering the myth that young South Africans were not interested in the elections, she said.

The IEC had upgraded its website and call centre due to the high call volumes and traffic during the first registration weekend.

"Our website capacity has been upgraded to ensure that the supporting infrastructure can take much more traffic," said Bam. The website could now also be accessed through most browsers.

"More agents have been hired at the call centre to assist South Africans to locate their correct voting station or confirm registration details."

Registered voters could contact the IEC toll free from a landline on 0800 118000 between 08:00 and 17:00 to confirm their registrations details. They could also SMS their ID numbers to 32810 or go to www.elections.org.za.

- SAPA