You can change your voter registration details online in under five minutes - here's how

(Photo by Muhammadtaha Ibrahim on Unsplash)

• The final deadline to register for this year's elections is this weekend.
• You can check whether you are registered - and update your details, including your voting station online.
• We gave it a try and the process is pretty painless.

The IEC has made it possible to check your registration status or update your details online - we gave it a try, and it took less than five minutes to get it done.

First, check whether - and where - you're registered to vote: 

The 26 to 27 January 2019 will mark the last registration weekend for new voters in the 2019 national and provincial elections. (IEC)

All South African citizens aged 16 and older, and in possession of an official ID document, can register as voters (although only those who are at least 18 years old on voting day may vote).

Unfortunately, first-time registration for new voters can only be done in person at one of the country’s 22,932 voting stations that will open from 08:00 to 17:00 on Saturday 26 January and Sunday 27 January 2019.

Although you might have voted before, it's safe to check your registration status and most importantly where you're supposed to vote by going to: www.elections.org.za/regweekend then keying in your 13-digit SA ID number followed by the verification code (that blurred number in the red box).

(Screenshot)

Check where your closest voting station is

Search for it on maps.elections.org.za/vsfinder

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If you are not registered to vote at the voting station closest to you, you need to update your details.

If you moved countries, towns or even house - then you have to update the address. 

To change or update the address to your current one, simply head over to the My IEC portal: www.elections.org.za/MyIEC

The My IEC portal allows you to access your voter registration details, online services and even engage with the IEC securely and conveniently - but first, you'll have to sign up by creating a user profile

The 'My IEC' portal. (IEC)

Creating a profile takes less than a minute. You can create a new profile here: www.elections.org.za/MyIEC/Account/Register then enter your ID, full names as they appear on your ID in the first name(s) field followed by surname, cellphone number and or email address.

For confirmation purposes, you can choose to receive a one-time password via SMS... .

SMS from the IEC with OTP-Pin for registration on the portal. (Screenshot)

Or alternatively by email (by simply clicking on a verification link).

Screenshot of verification email after registering on the 'My IEC' portal. (Screenshot)

After registration you will now be able to login with your ID or email address as the username and water-tight password (at the insistence of the IEC)  to check registration status

Voter registration details with an indication of a 'registered status' at the bottom. (Screenshot)

After logging in, you will now be able to see electoral details such as your ward number, voting district number but most importantly your voting station, its address and a link to a map of where it is located.

To change your address simply click or tap the 'Edit/Update Address' button and enter your current residential address

Voter's roll address details that can be changed with the click/tap of a button. (Screenshot)

Upon changing your old address to your new/current one, don't be alarmed by the IEC's very serious notice (which they also email to you) to confirm that you're about to update the voter's roll with new details. Simply ensure that the address is correct and accept.

Confirmation of a change in address in terms of the Electoral Act. (Screenshot)

After accepting the terms and conditions you will have to wait about an hour before the new address reflects on your voter registration details

Additional and helpful information on your ward councillor, political affiliation and municipality. (Screenshot)

You will also be able to see who the ward councillor in your new residential area is including their affiliation and the details of the municipality you now fall under and their contact details.

Read more: SA parties just got an effective 33% discount to register for the 2019 elections

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