President Ramaphosa has proclaimed 8 May 2019 as the SA National Election Day. Voting abroad will take place earlier, on Saturday 27 April 2019.

The VEC 10 form can be submitted no later than 13 March 2019.

As soon as you submitted your VEC 10 document, you can look out for the result of your application here: http://www.elections.org.za/content/For-Voters/VEC-10-application-status/ or you can SMS your ID number to 32249.

How are you going about to make your vote count?

What do you need to qualify?

To vote whilst living abroad you will need to:

• Be registered at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC);
• Be in possession of a valid South African identity document;
• Be in possession of a valid South African passport; and
• Submit a VEC 10 application form at the IEC.

Many South Africans abroad who are in fact registered voters, however, missed the chance to make their voice heard in the previous national election. The reason for this was because only a small percentage of them knew that they needed to notify the IEC of their intention to vote. That is the reason for the VEC 10 form.

How do you know if you are registered?

If you live abroad, but was registered for the previous election, you should still be registered. If you are unsure, follow this link to see if you are registered to vote: https://www.elections.org.za/content/For-voters/My-voter-registration-details/.

Application for a special voting opportunity

However, what must you do when you still live in South Africa, but will be abroad only during the election date? You have the option to vote in the country where you will be over that specific period, which is usually about a week before the election date in South Africa, or you can apply for a “special vote”. You may apply for a special voting opportunity at your local IEC office which will subsequently allow you to vote a day or two prior to the national election date.

Make sure of your citizenship

When emigrating, you can apply for double citizenship if you choose to retain your South African citizenship. It is important to remember that you will need to indicate at an embassy that you wish to retain your South African citizenship before your new citizenship is registered. If you never officially emigrated, but simply live outside South African borders, your citizenship may be cancelled after three years. It is however possible to reapply for your citizenship if it was cancelled. Only South Africans who are still officially citizens of South Africa will be allowed to register to vote.

Where do you vote?

On the specified election day, you will be able to vote with your ID and passport (both documents are necessary and must still be valid) at your nearest embassy, high commission or consulate general.

Stay updated

 Make sure you know when the election date will be announced by following the IEC on social media:
www.twitter.com/iecsouthafrica
www.facebook.com/iecsouthafrica

Download the IEC’s application to:

• Change your address;
• Verify registration details;
• Apply for a “special vote”; and
• Find your nearest voting station.

The IEC application can be downloaded here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=za.org.elections.iecapp&hl=en_US.