Northern Cape leads highest percentage of special votes at 10.62%

A total of 774 000 voters had applied and had been granted permission for special voting which took place on Monday and Tuesday.

As vote counting enters the home stretch, a total 3.53% of the special votes have so far been recorded in the 2019 National and Provincial Elections.

As at 7:51 am on Friday, the Northern Cape had the highest percentage of special votes at 10.62%.

A total of 774 000 voters had applied and had been granted permission for special voting which took place on Monday and Tuesday.

In the Free State, special votes were at 6.12%, followed by the North West at 4.54 %. Limpopo was at 4.43%.

Mpumalanga accounted for 4.35% of the special votes cast, while the Western Cape accounted for 2.25% and the Eastern Cape for 4.25%.

Gauteng accounted for 2.17% of special votes cast while KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 2.25%.

The special voting process involved the use of a double envelope system, in which the marked ballot of the voter was placed in an unmarked envelope, which was then placed inside a second envelope that contains the voter's ID.

The outer envelope was used to ensure an accurate register and verification of special votes and was removed when the envelope was opened at the close of voting on Election Day on Wednesday.

Among the prominent South Africans who cast a special vote in this year's elections was Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

To date, 76.33% of all the votes have been captured since South Africans headed to the polls.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)