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Over 1.3 million voters cast special votes by midday

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

The Electoral Commission said special voting stations opened on time on the second and last day of special voting in the 2026 Local Government Elections. It also warned voters about election misinformation on social media.

Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo spoke at a media briefing in Midrand. He reminded voters that they receive two or three ballot papers, depending on the municipality. He asked them to mark the correct paper and fold each completed ballot before they put it in the right box.

The Commission said it had registered 34 complaints on the Real411 platform. Twitter / X had 58.8% of the complaints and TikTok had 23.5%. Facebook and WhatsApp had 8.8% each.

Mamabolo said unproven claims of election fraud had led supporters to post videos of presiding officers and staff. The videos show staff moving special vote ballots from carrying boxes and bags into the main ballot box. He said they were shared without context, alongside claims that something wrong was happening.

The Commission said it had already acted quickly against election officials who failed to do their duties as required.

Key facts

Who
Sy Mamabolo (Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Commission); Electoral Commission (election management body running the 2026 Local Government Elections); Real411 (platform for reporting election misinformation); Electoral Commission of South Africa (electoral body that runs the elections)
What
The Electoral Commission said on Tuesday that voting stations for special votes opened on time, with more than 1.3 million voters having voted by midday. It reminded voters how to mark multiple ballot papers and warned against election misinformation shared on social media, reporting 34 complaints to the Real411 platform.
When
3 November 2026
Where
Midrand, South Africa
Status
Reported

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