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IEC reports 1,425,942 special votes in local elections

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The Electoral Commission said 974,852 special voters voted at voting stations and 451,090 through home visits on 2 and 3 November. The votes will be counted with the Election Day ballots on 4 November.

Gauteng recorded the most special votes with 264,898, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 208,846 and Eastern Cape with 207,258. Limpopo had 180,627 and Mpumalanga 149,714. Western Cape had 148,493, North West 126,187, Free State 75,946 and Northern Cape 63,973.

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya spoke at a media briefing at the Results Operation Centre in Midrand after voting stations closed at 5pm on Tuesday. He said the special votes are securely stored and the figures are preliminary. About 2.6 million approved voters could vote early.

Moepya said the commission is fully prepared for Election Day. He said logistical, security and operational arrangements are in place across all nine provinces. The commission said 29.2 million voters are registered, with 23,696 voting stations and 188,000 officials.

The commission condemned incidents of intimidation, disruption and damage to election materials. It said it is taking legal action against the people and political parties involved.

Key facts

Who
Mosotho Moepya (Chairperson of the Electoral Commission); Electoral Commission (Election management body briefing the media); Electoral Commission of South Africa (Electoral body running the 2026 local government elections); African National Congress (Party whose 181 candidates were reinstated by the Constitutional Court ruling)
What
At the close of voting stations at 5pm on Tuesday, the IEC reported 1,425,942 special votes cast between 2 and 3 November, with Gauteng recording the most special votes (close to 265 000). The special votes will be counted with the 4 November Election Day ballots.
When
3 November 2026
Where
Midrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Status
Reported

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