Voting for RSA expats!!!! -------------BEFORE 27 March------

[vader]

Regardless of your political affiliations, exercise your right to vote.... If you know any SA expats abroad, send this to them.


On Thursday, 12 March, the South African Constitutional Court ruled that South African citizens living abroad and who were registered to vote, should be allowed to vote on 22 April. This is a landmark ruling and it may very well hold the key to the future of South Africa's fragile democracy. The reason for this is as follows: All expat votes are accrued in Pretoria / Gauteng. In other words, if enough expats vote, the ruling majority in Gauteng will be significantly reduced, possibly even to the degree that an opposition coalition could unseat them altogether. With the Western Cape - the second wealthiest province after Gauteng - already likely to go to an opposition coalition, the expat vote could restore some balance of power to our democracy. Every vote counts and everyone should vote for a country they wish to remain free from dictatorship!

Now, which expats may vote?
* South African citizens
* In possession of a bar-coded ID book
* Who voted before in an SA election after 1994 (= are on the voters' roll)
* And who signal their intention to vote BEFORE 27 March.

How do you know if you are on the voters' roll?

Easy. Follow the link below and type in your ID number and the verification code displayed on the screen. Within seconds you will know if you are on the voters' roll or not.

https://www.elections.org.za/amregister/amregister.aspx

How do you signal to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) that you intend to vote?

Download the form by following the link below (it is also available directly from http://www.elections.org.za ). Print it out, complete it and fax it back to this number: +27-12-428 5784

To download a VEC 10 form click here: http://www.elections.org.za/Documents/V ... ublic1.pdf


http://tinyurl.com/cou9w7

The information you need to fill in on the form is essentially the information you found on the search you did above.

What happens next?

No-one is quite sure. The IEC assured the media that they will be able to handle the flood of registrations. It may be useful to visit their website every now and then for the latest information:

http://www.elections.org.za

Contact your local embassy, too, to hear if they have received your name. The IEC's procedure has no accountability built in - in other words, they can "lose" your form and you wouldn't be the wiser. If you suspect any foul play, contact the Democratic Alliance or the Freedom Front Plus via their websites - they have mechanisms to verify whether the IEC did process your form.

Voting will undoubtedly be an expensive exercise for expats - taking leave from work on 22 April, travelling to the embassies, standing in long queues with other Saffers... Even so, please don't count the cost. Every vote for a strong opposition can make the difference between a dictatorship and a democracy. Exercise your constitutional right and make SA a country worth returning to! Please forward this email to every Saffer you know who is either living abroad, or who may know another Saffer living abroad.

***