Written by: Nqobile Msomi

Voters trickled into voting stations and centers ahead of the local elections this Wednesday.

Registered voters who are working on Wednesday could apply for special votes for 1 and 2 August.

The Durban University of Technology’s (DUT) Steve Biko campus is temporarily housing a voting station for Ward 28. Residents of a nearby old age home were also assisted to vote.

The YMCA voting station by Albert Park, which also falls under Ward 28, kicked off its voting on a slow start with no voters having arrived by 9am on Monday morning.

The Independent Electoral Commission’s Chief Electoral Officer, Mosotho Moepya explained how the voting process worked for special votes.

“At the end of the day, when we look at the voters that have cast the special votes, and we look at reconciling them to the list of special voting applications, we will then be able to indicate that these are the persons that we have dealt with,” said Moepya.

“After the voters’ names have been captured, it is the smaller unmarked envelope that is then put into the ballot box. So there is no connection that can be made between the voter and the ballot,” continued Moepya.

The IEC released a statement cautioning voters that were away from their voting districts and said: “If you are away from your voting district from 1 to 3 August 2016, then, unfortunately, you forfeit your vote in the 2016 Municipal Elections. Also note that voting abroad is only possible in national elections, and not in Municipal elections”.