The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has concluded the revision of voting district boundaries to increase voter access in the 2024 national and provincial elections, resulting in the creation of new voting districts, some assuming a different form, and the dissolution of others.

The revision has given rise to 23 296 voting districts compared with 23 148 for the 2021 local government elections, an increase of 148 voting districts, or 0.6%.

The IEC says the revision of voting districts is directed towards electoral efficiency and planning. 

The Commission’s chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo has specified that it will embark on a campaign of targeted communication and re-registration (TCR) of voters who were affected by the voting district boundary changes on Monday and conclude on October 27.

The IEC added that, by law, eligible voters must be registered in the voting district where they reside to participate in the elections.

“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),” said Mamabolo.

Trained fieldworkers will visit homes in certain affected voting districts and direct messaging via SMS and other digital channels will also inform affected voters on 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 to re-register voters on the spot,” he said.

November 18 and 19 will see the Electoral Commission hosting the first registration weekend and voting stations will be open from 08:00 to 17:00. Affected voters are also encouraged to check their voter registration status on the Electoral Commission Voter’s portal by visiting www.registertovote.elections.org.za.