Independent Electoral Commission on state of readiness for special voting on 2 And 3 November 2026 and election day on 4 November

01 Nov 2026

The Commission is braced for a successful special voting on 2 And 3 November 2026 and election day on 4 November

The 2026 local Government Elections commence across the country with Special voting tomorrow, Monday, 2 November, and Tuesday, 3 November 2026. Special Voting is an inclusivity mechanism in our electoral scheme catering for registered voters who may not be able to reach voting stations due to physical infirmity or disability, and those who may for various reasons not be in a position to present themselves on Election Day at voting stations within the wards where they are registered.

A total of 2 655 067 voters have been approved for special voting and will vote in two categories comprising home visits and voting station-based Special Voting. The provincial breakdown of the approved lists is 480 721 voters in Gauteng, 401 971 in Eastern Cape, 348 971 in KwaZulu-Natal, 341 623 in Limpopo, 292 775 in Mpumalanga, 291 866 in Western Cape, 235 733 in North West, 132 088 in Free State and 129 319 in Northern Cape.

Home visits: A total of 678 525 voters will cast special votes at their places of residence due to physical infirmity or disability. The gender split for this category of voters is 74% Females and 26 % males. Kwazulu-Natal recorded the highest provincial figure with 143 714 approved home visits, followed by Gauteng

IEC officials will visit these voters at the addresses provided in their applications. The Commission therefore reminds approved voters to remain available at these addresses during the two days of special voting.

Voting-station special votes: A total of 1 976 542 voters have been approved to cast their special votes at their registered voting stations. Out of these, 64 % are female, while 36% are males. Gauteng Province has the highest approved voting station special votes at 391 589. Voting station approved voters must report to the voting station where they are registered on 2 or 3 November 2026, during the prescribed special voting hours.

Voting stations will open at 08h00 and operate until 17h00 on both days for voters approved to cast their special votes at voting stations. Voters are reminded that they can only vote where they are registered. Before leaving home, they can check their Special Vote status by sending a sms to 32711 (sms costs R1 per SMS).

Voters can also check their voting station details their sequence numbers on the voters roll before leaving home to go to the voting stations through the following channels:

WhatsApp 0600 88 0000
IEC Contact Centre 0800 11 8000
SMS 32810 (sms costs R1 per SMS)

Providing a sequence number to election officials on Election Day will help them locate voters on the voters’ roll more quickly.

The Contact Centre is available for all other election-related information from 7am to 7pm for Special Voting on Monday and Tuesday, and 7am to 9pm for Voting Day on Wednesday 4 November 2026.

Voters can also visit the Commissions zero-rated website, www.elections.org.za, and click on the Live Chat icon.

Home visit voters to remain home until they are served!

The Commission appeals to all approved home visit voters to remain at their addresses during the two days, until the Electoral Commission staff has assisted them to vote.

Given a sheer high number of home visitations to be made within the two days, often covering vast areas, the officials will not return to the same address if they do not find the voters when they arrive at property first time.

However, voters who miss the home visit by the election officials on 2 and 3 November are not disenfranchised. Such voters can still visit their voting station on 4 November 2026 to exercise their right to vote.

Voting Station and Staff

The Commission has deployed 127 000 electoral officials to administer home visits and voting station based Special Voting over the next two days. The home visit component of this staff will be deployed in teams and may be accompanied by party Agents and Observers.

The Commission would like to indicate that due to security and other considerations, access to homes and places of confinement by people other than the election officials is a prerogative of the approved voters and institutions where such voters are hosted.

Therefore, the Commission calls on all stakeholders to respect the integrity of the process and refrain from any conduct that could intimidate voters or electoral officials, obstruct voting or interfere with approved home visit routes, and with election materials. 4

Secrecy and Integrity of the Special Vote

Special votes are administered under strict procedures to protect the secrecy, security and integrity of every ballot. Once a home visit special vote is cast, the ballot is placed in the prescribed envelopes, securely stored and retained until counting takes place.

Special votes are not counted on 2 and 3 November. They remain secured and are reconciled with the special-vote records before being opened and counted together with the ballots cast on Election Day, 4 November 2026. Political party agents, representatives of independent candidates and accredited observers may observe the process in accordance with the applicable rules, and record seals used to secure the special votes ballots.

Weather advisory

Weather forecast for the next 2 days shows high possibilities of rain fall in parts of Kwazulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Western Cape. Other provinces such as North West, Limpopo, Northern Cape and Free State are experiencing hot weather conditions. The Commission encourages voters to check local weather forecasts, and take precautionary measures to be able to vote despite the weather conditions.

Call to Action

The Commission reminds voters that they may only cast their special vote at the voting station where they are registered and must present a South African identity document before being allowed to vote. This includes a Smart ID Card, green barcoded ID book or Temporary ID obtained from the Department of Home Affairs.

The Commission extends its appreciation to voters, political contestants and South Africans at large for their continued cooperation. The Commission continues to work closely with the Security Cluster through the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) to support a safe and secure environment for voters, electoral officials and election materials during special voting and Election Day. 5

We also thank law-enforcement agencies for supporting a safe and secure electoral environment, and the Department of Home Affairs for ensuring voters have access to the identification documents required to vote.

The Commission has noted that the NOATJOINTS will brief the country on security readiness for the elections this evening at 19h00.

Get Up. Show Up. Vote on 4 November 2026!

For media queries please contact:
Kate Bapela
Cell: 082 600 6386

For media interviews:
Email requests to spokesperson@elections.org.za

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