IEC opens 3,4 million Western Cape voter roll for 4 November polls

More than 3,4 million voters in the Western Cape are expected at the polls on 4 November, and the province’s electoral officer says the commission is on track to run the local government elections across 1 623 voting districts.

The Independent Electoral Commission set out its voting, special vote and security arrangements at a multi-stakeholder engagement at the Southern Sun Hotel in Newlands on Tuesday, under the theme “Working together for successful and credible 2026 Local Government Elections”.

Western Cape Electoral Officer Michael Hendrickse said the commission could not carry election readiness alone.

“We don’t want the IEC to stand alone in preparing for these elections. Election readiness is a collective responsibility, and we all have a role to play in making sure the process is successful,” he said.

The engagement drew Chapter 9 institutions, faith-based structures, civil society organisations and representatives from the youth and disability sectors.

Special votes open on 21 September

Registered voters who cannot reach a voting station on 4 November may apply for a special vote from 21 September until 5pm on 12 October. Applications can be made online, on a form collected from an IEC office, or by SMS.

Voters may also apply at their registered voting stations on 2 and 3 November.

Those who cannot leave home because of physical infirmity or disability may apply for a home visit. Visits will run between 8am and 5pm on 2 and 3 November, with no appointments or time slots set. An IEC official and party agents conducting a home visit will be escorted by police.

Hendrickse warned that misrepresenting a voter’s circumstances carries criminal consequences.

“It’s a criminal offence to lie about physical infirmity or disability or to submit an application on behalf of someone without their consent,” he said.

Voters need a green barcoded ID, a smart ID card or a temporary ID to take part. The Department of Home Affairs will keep its offices open on 4 November, which has been declared a public holiday, for voters who need to collect identity documents or obtain a temporary ID.

Two ballots in the metro, three outside it

Voters in the Cape Metro will receive two ballots. Outside the metro, voters will receive three: a ward ballot, a proportional representation ballot for the local council, and a proportional representation ballot that elects the voter-elected portion of the district council.

Ward ballots are arranged alphabetically. The order in which the proportional representation lists appear will be set out at an IEC briefing in Johannesburg later this month.

Hendrickse said the province has 868 proportional representation and ward seats across all its municipalities, and that voters may only cast a ballot in the district where they are registered. Voting centres have grown from 493 to 544.

Voting stations close at 9pm

Voting stations will close at 9pm on 4 November. Anyone still in the queue at that hour will be allowed to vote, and no one may join the queue afterwards.

“If it is that there are still people in the queue, we will identify the last person and close after that person. Nobody can join the queue after 9pm,” Hendrickse said.

Counting takes place at the voting station. Result slips then go to the local IEC office for vetting, capture, storage and printing. The system is audited against the original slips before results are filed, and an exception check is run where anything untoward is reported. Results are released only after that process.

Security and conflict management

The commission’s Conflict Management Co-ordinator, Geoff Mamputa, said the IEC works alongside government departments and civil society on preventing disruption rather than responding to it after the fact.

Areas of concern include Mfuleni, Delft, the Cape Flats, Du Noon and Strand. The commission said it is working with communities, the South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to keep voting running.

A full list of candidates will be released on Wednesday.

Source: IOL, IEC details voting, special-vote and security plans for Western Cape elections