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Johannesburg - We're getting ready for the 2016 Municipal Elections. Are you? Find out more about how local government works, the election timetable and party and voter registration for the elections here.
WHAT IS IT?
Municipal elections are held every five years to elect councillors who will be responsible for governing a municipality for the next five years.
The current term of office of municipal councils ends on 18 May 2016. The councillors will serve on the town, city, metropolitan or district councils that ensure services that impact the daily lives of citizens in their areas including water, electricity and sanitation.
WHEN IS IT?
The exact date of the 2016 Municipal Elections will only be known when the election is officially proclaimed by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in 2016. In terms of the Constitution the election must be held between 18 May and 16 August 2016.
HOW DO I REGISTER TO VOTE?
You must be a South African citizen, be at least 16 years old (you can only vote from age 18 though) and have a green, bar-coded identification (ID) book; smartcard ID; or valid temporary identity certificate (TIC).
Apply for registration during office hours at the local Electoral Commission office responsible for your voting district, or register to vote on special registration days (often called registration weekends, of which there are always at least one before an election).
If you would like to register at your local Electoral Commission office, please always call first to make an appointment, as nearer to an election electoral staff are often out of office to conduct voter education in their communities. Like the Electoral Commission on Facebook (IECSouthAfrica) or follow us on Twitter (@IECSouthAfrica) to get updates on our registration weekend/s dates.
By law, you must apply in person (no online or email registrations are permitted) and you must bring your valid:
• green, bar-coded ID book, or;
• smartcard ID, or;
• temporary identity certificate (TIC).
No other forms of identification are accepted (not even passports or driving licences). Only original documents – no copies – are accepted. Please note that no proof of residence is required.
During municipal elections and by-elections, you must vote at the voting station where you are registered, and you must register in the voting district in which you live most of the time. If you are already registered as a voter, and you have recently moved or you realise that you will be living in another place on Election Day (for example, if you are a student), you must go back to a registration point and fill in a form to change your registration details. You will then be moved to the correct voting district and your name will be put on the voters’ roll for that district.
To find out where your correct voting station is, please click here.
So get ready to have your say in the 2016 Municipal Elections. Your vote is your voice, use it wisely.
