The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has approved a record 2 655 067 special vote applications ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections, marking a 131% increase from the 1 147 759 applications approved in 2021.

The special vote application period ran from 21 September and closed at 17:00 on 12 October.

Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo addressed media in Pretoria on Wednesday to outline the commission’s progress ahead of the polls.

Home visits and voting station applications

The approved applications split into two categories: home visits for voters unable to travel to voting stations due to physical infirmity or disability, and voting station-based special votes for voters who cannot vote on election day.

The commission approved 678 525 home visit applications, an increase of 171 118, or 33.7%, compared with the 507 407 approved in 2021.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of approved home visit applications at 143 714.

Mamabolo said most applications, totalling 2 426 066, came through online platforms, while officials captured 171 214 manually submitted applications at IEC offices. The commission expects to complete the capturing process by 16 October 2026.

Provincial breakdown shows Gauteng leads

Gauteng recorded the highest number of approved special votes at 480 721, followed by the Eastern Cape with 401 971. KwaZulu-Natal recorded 348 971, Limpopo 341 623, Mpumalanga 292 775 and the Western Cape 291 866.

The North West recorded 235 733 applications, the Free State 132 088 and the Northern Cape 129 319.

Women and elderly voters dominate applications

The commission’s analysis reveals distinct age and gender patterns among special vote applicants. Women account for 74% of home visit applications and 64% of voting station visit applications.

Voters aged 60 years and older account for 79.6% of all home visit applications, with the 70 to 79 age group representing the largest segment.

“The data indicates that home visits are predominantly utilised by older voters, particularly older female voters. The voting station visits display a relatively younger and more gender-balanced profile,” Mamabolo said.

Gauteng recorded the highest numbers among both women and men, with 305 586 female applicants and 172 200 male applicants. The Eastern Cape followed with 267 539 female and 137 550 male applicants.

Election preparations on track

Special voting will take place on 2 and 3 November, ahead of election day on 4 November.

Mamabolo said the commission provided political party contestants with access to the Election Results System from 5 to 12 October following an external audit and the implementation of remedial measures. The exercise allowed contestants to test the system’s integrity, functionality, security and reliability.

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Ballot paper printing is underway, with more than 66% of the 79 million ballots already printed. The commission expects production to conclude by Sunday, 18 October.

The commission has distributed the bulk of non-security election materials to local municipalities in preparation for special voting and election day.

All 23 696 voting stations have been secured, with leases concluded for 22 659 permanent voting stations. The commission is finalising arrangements to establish temporary infrastructure at 1 005 temporary stations and to support 33 mobile voting stations.

The commission has also finalised the locations of the National and Provincial Results Operation Centres.

The commission encouraged voters to familiarise themselves with the voting process and make necessary preparations to ensure a smooth experience at the polls.

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