With the upcoming 2024 National Elections on the horizon, South African registered voters are in for some changes.
The Electoral Commission has concluded the review of voting district boundaries, aiming to enhance voter accessibility for both the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
Consequently, new voting districts have been established, others have been disbanded, and some existing districts have undergone alterations.
The Independent Electoral Commission reports that this review, known as re-delimitation, has resulted in 23,296 voting districts for the upcoming elections, compared to 23,148 in the 2021 Municipal Elections—an increase of 148 voting districts, or 0.6%.
“This increase in voting districts, however slight, implies increased access and convenience to voting for voters,” stated Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo
It’s important to note that unlike wards, voting districts, as highlighted by the Electoral Commission, are not political boundaries but are created by the Electoral Commission to streamline electoral efficiency and planning.
Moreover, Mamabolo announced that the Electoral Commission will launch a targeted communication and re-registration (TCR) campaign for voters affected by the changes in voting district boundaries starting from Monday, 2 October 2023. This campaign will run until Friday, 27 October 2023, just ahead of the voter registration period for the upcoming elections.
According to the law, eligible voters must register in the voting district where they reside to participate in elections. Mamabolo added, “Nationally, there are 1,925 affected voting districts identified for this TCR campaign, the majority of which are in KwaZulu-Natal (774), the Eastern Cape (332), and Limpopo province (296).”
A breakdown per province of the number of voting districts affected by the redrawn voting district boundaries for the 2024 Elections is as follows:
The targeted communication and re-registration of voters affected by the voting district boundary changes will be done by a combination of methods taking into account the varied social milieus. The methods include trained fieldworkers walking from house to house in certain affected voting districts, and the use of direct messaging with affected voters via SMS and other digital channels to inform them of the need to re-register in their new voting districts.
“Our fieldworkers, identifiable by identification card and vest clearly marked with IEC branding, will be equipped with voter management devices (VMDs) to re-register voters on the spot,” adds Mamabolo.
It should be noted, that where voters are not home, a flyer will be dropped off communicating details of their new voting district and station, the national registration weekend dates, and also directing them to the Voter Portal where they can self-register online 24/7.
To find out if your voting district boundaries have changed, voters are encouraged to check their voter registration status on the Electoral Commission’s Voter Portal.
Visit www.registertovote.elections.org.za (link is external), or SMS your ID number to 32810 to get a notification of the current voting district and station on record for you.
Furthermore, when you visit the Voter Portal or use the SMS line, your registration details will be displayed, including your voting district and station. If you have moved to a new home, you are most likely in a different voting district.
“We appeal to voters that if your voting district has indeed changed, it is important that you re-register in your new voting district to ensure that your name appears on the voters’ roll segment for your voting district on Election Day,” concluded Mamabolo.
The first registration weekend for the 2024 Elections is scheduled for 18th-19th November 2023, during which all voting stations will be open from 8 am to 5 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
Additional Information:
The Electoral Commission’s Delimitation Division is responsible for delimiting (subdividing) the entire geographic area of South Africa into voting districts, with the assistance of a Geographical Information System, or GIS, electronic mapping system.
What is a voting district?
A voting district is the smallest geographical unit (area) for purposes of election planning and administration. Its usefulness lies in its ability to minimise electoral fraud (registered voters voting more than once in an election), and to make election administration more efficient. Each voting district is serviced by a single voting station.
Voters may only register and vote in the voting district in which they live. Once registered, a voter’s name will appear on the voters’ roll for the voting district at which they are registered. This minimises the possibility of a voter voting more than once in an election.
How are voting districts determined?
Voting districts are delimited to minimise voter inconvenience (voters having to travel inordinate distances to access a voting station and standing in long queues at voting stations), and to assist the Electoral Commission with logistical planning.
Voting districts are principally determined on the basis of geographical size and number of eligible voters. Urban voting districts contain typically 3,000 voters located within a smaller radius of the voting station, while rural voting districts generally accommodate some 1,200 voters located within a relatively larger radius of the voting station.
What is delimitation and demarcation?
The concepts ‘delimitation’ and ‘demarcation’ are often used interchangeably. For the purposes of electoral management, the drawing of outer municipal boundaries is called re-demarcation, and drawing ward boundaries is termed delimitation.
Both these processes are the legal responsibility of the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB). The drawing of voting districts is known as ‘delimitation’, and is within the remit of the Electoral Commission. Voting districts are created for electoral efficiency and planning purposes.
Why do voting districts change?
Many voting districts change shape due to various geographical, population, and political changes that take place between elections. When delimiting voting districts, the Electoral Commission accesses various data sources (topographic, cadastral, census information), including the Surveyor General, the Department of Land Affairs, and Statistics SA.
Before an election, the Electoral Commission’s municipal representatives inspect maps of voting districts in municipalities to align the geography of voting districts with local geographic, settlement, demographic, and political changes that may have occurred since the previous election. Voting districts must also be aligned to new boundaries determined by the Municipal Demarcation Board.
The Electoral Commission’s municipal representatives also locate and confirm voting stations in each voting district. This is done in conjunction with municipal political representatives.
How will voters know if their voting district has changed?
Check your voter registration status online. All of your registration details will be displayed, including your voting district and station. If you have moved to a new home, you’re most likely in a different voting district.
To find out, go to the Electoral Commission’s online voting station finder at [https://maps.elections.org.za/vsfinder/](https://maps.elections.org.za/vsfinder/) and search for your street name or suburb.
The map will display your voting district boundaries and the location of your voting station. If your voting district has indeed changed, you need to re-register in your new district. Visit [www.registertovote.elections.org.za](http://www.registertovote.elections.org.za/) or visit your voting station on the weekend of 18-19 November 2023, 8 am – 5 pm both days.
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