Voters reminded not to take pictures inside polling booths

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has again reminded voters of the rules at voting stations ahead of Wednesday’s Local Government Elections . Speaking at the Results Operations Centre in Midrand, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi said taking photographs of marked ballot papers is strictly prohibited. Voters have also been urged to mark their ballot papers in private and follow the instructions of election officials. The commission has further warned that campaigning, canvassing, intimidating or attempting to influence voters inside voting stations is not permitted. It has also urged the public not to intimidate electoral staff or take and share unauthorised photographs of officials on social media. Shiburi was responding to concerns about the positioning and privacy of voting booths. “The instructions to presiding officers are that the voting booths should be located in what we call an ATM position, the same way that you use an ATM. You obscure the keypad, in this instance the ballot paper, with your body.” “So [that] somebody standing behind [you] won’t be able to see in the ballot. That is critical to balance the right to vote in secrecy as well as inducement of voters being induced to make a mark, take a picture, pass it over to somebody in exchange for something in return,” explains Shiburi. VIDEO | IEC media briefing on progress made on Day One of Special Votes