IEC presses ahead to register ‘homeless’ voters
Experts warn that amending the Electoral Act to accommodate voters without proof of address could lead to manipulation
The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) is set to push for an amendment of the Electoral Act to ensure that some 1.6-million voters without addresses are not removed from the voters’ roll. While the measure has largely been welcomed by political parties, there are concerns that in a tightly contested provincial election — which provinces such as Gauteng are likely to have —such an amendment may leave room for manipulation. In 2016, the Constitutional Court ruled that the the voters’ roll as it stood was inconsistent with the rule of law. The failure of the IEC to record the addresses of voters was found to be unconstitutional and invalid. The IEC was given 18 months to fix the defect. It had not done so by the court-prescribed deadline and has applied for an extension. While IEC insiders are confident that their request for an extension will be granted, the Constitutional Court has yet to rule on the matter. It is expected to do so by the end of November. However, IEC chief electoral o...
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