Elections
Your guide to voting in South Africa
2026 Municipal Elections
Registration weekends begin in early 2026. Make sure you're registered!
🗳️ National & Provincial (every 5 years)
Elect MPs for the National Assembly and MPLs for Provincial Legislatures. One ballot for national, one ballot for provincial. The party with the most NA seats forms the government.
🏛️ Municipal (every 5 years)
Elect councillors for your municipality. Two ballots: one for your ward councillor (a person), one for a party (proportional representation).
To vote in South Africa, you must be a South African citizen and at least 16 years old (though you can only vote from age 18).
Online Registration
You can register or update your details online. You'll need:
- Green barcoded ID book or Smartcard ID
- A mobile device to receive an OTP
- ID copy (JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP) - max 10MB
View image guidelines
Important
You must register in the ward where you ordinarily reside. Voting in the wrong ward is not allowed.
If you cannot travel to your voting station on Election Day (due to physical infirmity, disability, or pregnancy) or will be away, you can apply for a Special Vote to vote on a predetermined day.
Requirements:
- Registered voter
- South African citizen
- 18 years or older on voting day
Need help with registration or have a complaint?
General Support
- 📞 0800 11 8000 (Toll-free)
- ✉️ info@elections.org.za
- South African ID (green book, smart card, or valid temporary ID)
- Know your voting station (sent by SMS if registered)
No voter registration card is required — your ID is enough.
In municipal elections, you'll get two ballots:
Ward Ballot 🧑
Lists individual candidates. You vote for one person to represent your ward. The candidate with the most votes wins.
PR Ballot 🏛️
Lists political parties. You vote for one party. Seats are allocated proportionally based on total party votes.
Results are announced within a few days. The IEC website and news outlets publish live counts. On Visita, you can:
- • View election results for your ward
- • See who your new councillor is
- • Track their performance over time