Staff Writer
FROM invisible ink on ballot papers to ruining a perfectly good manicure, a number of urban legends, myths and concerns have surrounded the elections. The Cape Times set out to put them to bed so you wouldn’t have to.
Can the ink rub off my thumb? No. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) official who marked your thumb used indelible ink which won’t come off for several days. Its purpose is to prevent anyone from voting more than once.
Do the pens at the stations have disappearing ink?
Negative. This urban legend reared its head last week with conspiracy theorists claiming pens handed out at voting stations would contain disappearing ink, allowing ballots to be re-marked. The IEC was at pains to assure voters its pens were legit and voters didn’t need to take their own.
Do I have to vote?
No, you didn’t have to vote. The IEC explained voting was not compulsory but was an important civic duty and encouraged all South Africans to participate.”
Were all the pubs and liquor stores closed? What if I had wanted a pre- or post-vote tipple?
Booze laws were relaxed for the day. Pubs and liquor stores were allowed to be open but some might have decided to keep their doors closed.
Voting in the Northern Cape was particularly festive with the province’s liquor licensing laws relaxed to allow pubs, bars and taverns to stay open for 24 hours a day in the week leading up to elections.
Would I have been allowed to wear my EFF beret, ANC shirt and DA takkies while I voted?
Yes. Voters were allowed to wear whatever they liked while they cast their vote. But IEC officials working at the voting stations had to keep their hearts off their sleeves and their party’s shirt in the wardrobe.
Could a DA/ANC/EFF/AgangSA person have tried to convince me to vote for them on election day?
No. If parties didn’t do enough by midnight of the day before elections, then too bad.
That didn’t stop parties from phoning you or sending SMSes – the IEC didn’t prohibit parties from campaigning this way.
What would have happened if I had freshly painted nails or acrylic nails?
You needn’t have let voting stop you from treating yourself to a manicure. The IEC said voters with nail polish or artificial nails couldn’t have been prevented from voting. Had there been an issue you could have asked for the presiding officer.