One man came from the voting booth all smiles. His response to every question was “no problems, man. Everything is good.”

Another couple said the process “was as efficient and professional as it gets.”

“A carnival mood is prevailing across the country led by the first citizen, President Kgalema Motlanthe, who cast his ballot at 7am in Pretoria,” which is the time polls were set to open, said Adv Pansy Tlukula, Chief Electoral Officer of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

According to the IEC, 98% of the polling stations opened on time. “Those that did not… were primarily temporary stations which were affected by challenges such the weather,” said Tlukula.

Problems Arise

But opening polling stations on time was not the only challenge presented to the IEC.

Entrance of a polling station (photo by Michelle Smith)

Ballot boxes can only hold so many votes. As the first boxes reached their capacity, a shortage of replacements sent election officials scrambling. It was decided that the ballot boxes that special votes had been cast in earlier should be used.

“But we cannot put today’s votes on top of votes that were supposedly cast another day,” an election agent argued at a Centurion polling station.

This dispute was finally resolved after the IEC and party members agreed that witnesses from each party would oversee the transfer of the special votes, which would be consolidated and sealed in other boxes.

Some stations reportedly solved their shortages by using plain cardboard boxes.

Hours later, ballot papers began to run out. The IEC noted that 55 million had been printed. But more than 28 million people were registered to vote. As the election was provincial and national, two ballots per person were required.

A line of voters during the day (photo by Michelle Smith)

The shortage of voting materials was not so much about the number of people who voted, but “was caused mainly by the provision in the Electoral Act that allows voters to vote at voting stations other than the ones where they are registered,” said IEC Chairperson, Brigalia Bam.

Ballot papers had to be redistributed to the stations that needed them most, which took time, and stalled voting in some places.

That the number of people who would exercise their freedom to vote where they like was underestimated slowed down the process in one more way.

“When they [voters] vote at any station other than where they are registered, they must fill out a form,” said a presiding election officer, revealing the one page document.

Polls were set to close at 9pm. But at many voting stations, the lines still stretched outdoors, despite the fact that temperatures had dropped.

The IEC announced that voting stations would not be held open late. Election staff capped the lines, so that newcomers could not join, but everyone who was present before the deadline was allowed to make their marks.

That the African National Congress (ANC) will win the national election is a given. However, many voted to prevent the ANC from getting a two-thirds majority, which would afford them power to change the Constitution.

As the votes are counted, the question in many minds is whether a democratic election will lead to fair governance.

Michelle Smith for RT