Overseas voters: Make your vote count on Wednesday, 30th April 2014.

The Democratic Alliance Abroad (DA Abroad) expects a strong global voter turnout of those South Africans eligible to vote outside the country on Wednesday, 30^th April.

There are 26,701 South Africans eligible to vote abroad in Elections 2014.

From talking to eligible voters and tracking social media, the DA Abroad is convinced that South Africans outside the country are deeply concerned about the two key election issues - the jobs crisis and the growing corruption in the country. 

The DA Abroad remains concerned about certain aspects of the voting procedures for those living abroad. The opening times from 7am to 9pm, which mirror those at home, are to be welcomed.  However, it remains a problem that the IEC requires both valid passports and ID books to vote abroad.

It also remains of deep concerns that while voting facilities have been provided for a single person, large South African communities have been effectively disenfranchised because of their distance from a foreign mission.

South Africans living abroad who have had their VEC10 form submissions approved by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) will be eligible to vote on Wednesday. IEC figures show that 26,701 South Africans will be eligible to vote abroad in the 2014 election. In the 2009 election, 9,857 South Africans voted abroad. A table of the top twenty voting stations and the number of eligible voters is provided below.

ELECTION 2014: TOP TWENTY OVERSEAS VOTING STATIONS

Source: Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)

Voting will take place from 7am to 9pm at 118 South African diplomatic missions abroad. Voters are only permitted to vote at the mission where they stated they would like to vote on their VEC10 form. The IEC has given approval for 9,863 voters, nearly 37 percent of the total, to be cast in London.

The DA Abroad will keep voters updated on the proposed London Tube strike via social media. If the strike goes ahead their will be a limited service on some lines, and some stations serving the SA High Commission on Trafalgar Square will still be operating.

The DA Abroad wishes to remind voters abroad to bring BOTH their green, bar-coded ID book; smartcard ID; or valid Temporary Identity Certificate; and their valid South African passport or temporary passport to the South African mission where they intend to vote. Without these documents they will not be able to vote.

Statement issued by Jonathan Katznellenbogen, Media Liaison, DA Abroad, April 28 2014

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