Voters who will be unable to cast their ballots on Wednesday 4 November can now apply for a special vote. Applications opened on Monday, 21 September.

Eligible voters have until Monday 12 October at 17:00 to submit their applications for the 2026 Local Government Elections.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said special votes are intended for voters who will not be able to cast their ballots normally on election day.

There are two categories of special votes.

The first is for voters who are unable to travel to a voting station because of their physical condition.

If approved, an IEC official will visit the voter at their place of confinement, which must be within the voting district where they are registered.

The second category is for voters who can physically go to a voting station but will not be able to vote there on election day. If approved, these voters will cast their ballots at their registered voting station during the two days before election day.

The IEC said people who will be away from their voting districts on 4 November may also apply.

This includes people working in essential services and members of the media.

Applications can be submitted through the IEC website, by SMS or at a local IEC office.

Applications can also be submitted at a local IEC office using the Special Vote Application form. Forms must be hand-delivered and cannot be submitted by email or fax. Another person may deliver a completed form on behalf of the applicant.

The IEC reminded voters that special votes at voting stations can only be cast at the voting station where they are registered.

For approved home visits, the special vote will take place at the voter’s registered address within their voting district.

Voters applying for a special vote at a voting station can SMS their identity number to 32249. Each SMS costs R1.