Voter Education
Blind SA is again engaging on doing voter education on the Local Government Elections.
Please note that on Umhlobo Wenene FM, national radio broadcasting in isiXhosa, tomorrow morning from 05h50 to 06h300, an interview on the use of the UBT and independently use a preferred sighted person without having the Presiding Officers and party Agents watching will take place.
Visually impaired persons will be trained in how to use the Universal Ballot Template (UBT). This template has been used since the voting took place in 2016.
Follow up training will be done in Daveyton on the Eastrand on the 13th of October. Limpopo on the 13th of October and on 15 October training will be done during the White Cane Walk for the City of Johannesburg.On Tuesday 19 October training will be taking place in the Tshwane, Merafong, Kagiso and Secunda districts respectively.
The metro with the most candidates will have 56 options to choose from.
In the metro you would need to vote for your candidate in the ward and for the candidate in your respective region.
For other municipalities you would need to bring out three votes. One for your ward, one for your municipality and one for your district.
One of the features on the ballot paper which would make it easy for a blind or a partially sighted person to vote is that at the left bottom corner, a hole will be punched. In this way you would know that the paper is in the correct position. The UBT have different windows which is marked with a number. The paper will fit into the template with the top right hand corner of the ballot paper sticking out of the template to be in line with the windows which one should use when voting.
Unfortunately, the registration for special votes has already closed. On the weekend of the 30th and 31st of October Special Votes will be attended to either as a home visit or at your voting station if you registered.
Blind SA will also have 35 observers during this voting day.
If any person would like to get involved in the training/observation team, please contact Gilbert Mangwekea on 072 624 5004.