IEC warning: Voters being coerced to remove their names from voters' roll

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has warned of “strange” behaviour among registered voters who are approaching the electoral body, asking to be removed from the country’s voters’ roll. The IEC expressed serious concerns about this trend, as it risks disenfranchising South Africans by depriving them of their right to vote.

The commission, which manages the country’s elections, sounded the alarm while addressing a meeting this past weekend. It warned that it seems people are being incentivised to remove their names from the voters’ roll.

“We have seen a number of people applying to have their names removed from the voters’ roll. Although it is their right, we need to caution them because if they do not apply their minds in terms of being deregistered, they may face consequences. We have picked up a trend that somebody is encouraging people to be deregistered.

“Those individuals must be aware that when they go to the voting station, their names will not be on the voters’ roll. We need to consider including them in the rejected portion of the voters’ roll.”

James Aphane, General Manager for Electoral Matters at the IEC, urged those taking this action to think carefully before proceeding. “If you have been coerced into deregistering because somebody offered you money or for whatever reason, and you cannot vote on voting day, we will place your name in the rejected voters’ roll because it will be clear that you have requested your name to be removed.”

He emphasised that a credible voters’ roll is key to the integrity of the elections. “What is the purpose of this voters’ roll? It is to ensure that you are the right person eligible to vote in this particular voting station within the ward, to protect election processes and promote transparency in the process.”

In an additional comment clarifying the issue, the IEC stated that it had reports of people being encouraged to deregister.

"While applications for deregistration remain low, it is very critical for those who deregister to take note that this will result in their name being removed from the voters’ roll, with the concomitant loss of their right to vote in a ward, municipal, national assembly, or legislature election.”

It was noted that based on current data, deregistration activity is evenly distributed across provinces, with no province or region showing abnormal concentrations. The Commission will, as a matter of routine practice, continue to analyse and review trends as part of its preparations for the upcoming Local Government Elections.

“The IEC takes the integrity of the voters’ roll seriously and implements several measures to ensure accuracy and protect the rights of voters, including continuous voter education to clarify registration and deregistration processes.”

In addition to voter registration weekends, the Commission will undertake numerous steps, including enhanced outreach campaigns focusing on youth, first-time voters, and communities affected by boundary changes.

“The IEC reaffirms that no eligible voter is removed from the voters’ roll without due process, and every person retains the right to update or correct their registration details at any time before the voters’ roll closes upon proclamation of an election,” it stated.

Political expert Professor Musa Xulu said those enticing people to deregister may be interested in later creating a narrative that says the South African electoral system is so compromised that even would-be voters are distancing themselves from it. “The ultimate outcome of massive disinterest in electoral democracy is often to create democratic uncertainty, leading to a popular revolt or a military coup," he said.

Meanwhile, the IEC also discussed the work being done to ensure that queues move efficiently on voting day. “We acknowledge the challenges we faced during our last election day. We want to improve logistics so that you do not spend more than 15 minutes at the voting station; that is our aim.”

Among the changes they are considering is using a sequence number rather than names to call voters in to vote. He stated that other changes will be made to the employment of personnel at voting stations to ensure that experienced individuals are the presiding officers.

He provided an example of what necessitated this change, explaining that during the last election, when the IEC faced technological challenges at the voting stations, the young presiding officers did not have the necessary agility to manage the voting stations effectively.

“We have revisited that approach. We need to ensure that whoever is presiding at the voting station has the necessary experience and skills to manage the voting station. It needs to be a mature person who can think on their feet. We will still employ young people; we need to balance experience and addressing unemployment.”

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