Special voting is open: What you need to know before you cast your ballots

Special voting for the 2026 local government elections opened on Monday, 2 November.

More than 2.6 million voters have been approved to cast their ballots early.

Some will vote at their voting stations, while others will vote at home.

Here’s what you need to know, whether you’re voting early or on Election Day.

WHEN IS SPECIAL VOTING?

Special voting takes place on Monday, 2 November, and Tuesday, 3 November.

Voting stations open for approved special voters from 08:00 to 17:00 on both days.

Election Day follows on Wednesday, 4 November, which is a public holiday.

On Election Day, voting stations will be open from 07:00 to 21:00.

WHO CAN CAST A SPECIAL VOTE?

Only voters whose special vote applications were approved can vote on 2 and 3 November.

According to the IEC, 2,655,067 voters have been approved:

• 678,525 will vote at home, because of physical infirmity or disability.
• 1,976,542 will vote at their registered voting stations, because they can’t vote on Election Day.

IF YOU’RE VOTING AT HOME

Voters approved for home visits should stay at home until election officials have helped them.

Officials work in teams, and may be accompanied by political party agents and accredited observers.

WHAT IF YOU MISS YOUR HOME VISIT?

You can still vote.

“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,” said IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo.

Voters who didn’t receive a response to their special vote application, and haven’t voted, can also vote at their registered voting station on Election Day.

WHEN WILL SPECIAL VOTES BE COUNTED?

Special votes won’t be counted on 2 or 3 November.

Instead, they’ll be stored securely and counted together with the ballots cast on Election Day.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR VOTING STATION

You can find your voting station details and voters’ roll sequence number through the IEC’s:

• WhatsApp service: Send “Hi” to 060 088 0000.
• Contact Centre: 0800 11 8000, open from 07:00 to 19:00 during special voting, and from 07:00 to 21:00 on Election Day.
• SMS service: 32810.

You can also check your details on the IEC’s website.

WHAT TO BRING

Take a valid South African identity document, such as your green barcoded ID book, smart ID card or a valid temporary identity certificate.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The number of approved special votes is a record, and 131% higher than the 1,147,759 approved for the 2021 local government elections.

KwaZulu-Natal has the most approved home visits, with 143,714, while Gauteng leads for voting station-based special votes, with 391,589.

The IEC has deployed about 127,000 electoral officials to run special voting over the two days.