IEC opens special vote applications for 4 November local elections
Voters who cannot reach their station on election day have until 12 October at 17:00 to apply, and approval is not automatic.
Applications for special votes in South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections opened on Monday, 21 September, and close on Monday, 12 October at 17:00.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is running the process. The elections themselves take place on Wednesday, 4 November.
As The South African reported on 21 September, the application window is now open. A special vote exists for registered voters who cannot cast a ballot at their registered voting station on election day.
Two kinds of special vote
The first is a home visit. It is for voters who are physically unable to travel to a voting station or to present themselves at one. If the application is approved, IEC officials travel to the voter. The address must fall inside the voting district where that voter is registered, so a home visit cannot be arranged at a relative’s house in another area.
The second is a voting-station special vote. It is for voters who can physically reach their station but cannot be there on 4 November. If approved, they vote at their registered station on 2 or 3 November, ahead of election day.
The commission has advised voters who expect to be away from their voting districts on election day to apply if they meet the requirements. That includes people working in essential services and in the media.
How to apply
There are three routes.
Online, through the IEC website at www.elections.org.za.
By SMS, by sending an identity number to 32249. Each SMS costs R1. The commission says this option covers voting-station special votes only.
In person, by completing a special vote application form and handing it to a local IEC office. Manual applications must be delivered by hand to the local office. Another person may deliver the form on the applicant’s behalf.
Approval is a separate step
Submitting an application does not secure a special vote. The IEC must receive the application and approve it. Voters approved for a home visit cast their ballot at the approved address inside their registered voting district. Voters approved for a station special vote cast theirs at the station where they are registered.
The commission has asked eligible voters not to leave applications to the deadline, saying preparations are needed to run the special voting process.
The opening of applications is one more stage in the build-up to 4 November. For a municipal election, the practical effect lands close to home. A voter who cannot get to a station on the day, whether through illness, disability, work or travel, either arranges a special vote inside this window or does not vote at all.
Source: The South African, How to apply for a special vote for 2026 Local Government Elections
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