The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) expressed satisfaction at the good progress in the execution of special votes, warning voters to watch out for misinformation and phishing scams on social media and other digital platforms.

Ahead of election day on Wednesday, the IEC administered special votes for qualifying voters on Monday and will end on Tuesday.

The IEC reported that as at 14:00 on Monday, an estimated 201 794 voting station visits of special votes were processed at 22 626 service points.

A total of 624 593 voters will be visited by 62 000 officials over the two days, by the Electoral Commission, accompanied by political party agents and observers, where they are available, the commission explained.

The IEC said it was happy with the turnout, urging South Africans to continue to go out in their numbers to vote on Wednesday.

The Commission reminded those who qualified for special votes that they would only be visited at the given address once.

“If the voter is not present at the given address, they will be able to cast their vote at the voting station where they are registered,” it said.

The Commission clarified that in the instance where a voter has made two transactions, the last will override the first.

“…this is done to protect the integrity of the elections and prevent voters from voting twice,” the Commission explained.

The IEC highlighted that owing to the good preparation, the Commission was able to open the majority of voting stations in the Eastern Cape, despite protests, which had nothing to do with elections.

The Commission noted that of the 435 voting stations which experienced problems in the morning, only 107 remained closed owing to these external factors.

The IEC explained that the special voting process was subject to all the security and integrity protocols of normal voting including scrutiny by party agents and observers where present. 

Special votes would be reconciled against the voters’ roll and the list of approved special votes, it said.