South Africa’s Electoral Commission is fully ready to welcome eligible voters at all 23 706 voting stations across the country during this voter registration weekend (20 and 21 June).

The voters’ roll

The voters’ roll currently has 28 million registered voters — up from 27.7 million during the 2024 general elections. Despite losing around 34 000 voters each month due to deaths, the roll has grown, helped in large part by the commission’s online registration platform.

Register in the right ward

In local government elections, voters must be placed in the correct ward. Getting the right address on record is vital, as it determines which ward a voter falls under. Voters are urged to update their details — especially their address — to ensure they are in the right ward.

There is no legal way to vote outside the voting district where a voter is registered. This has been part of the local government election framework since democratic local government was established in 2000.

Registration stations

The 23 706 stations include 22 718 permanent stations, 960 temporary stations, and 28 mobile stations for remote communities. All stations will be open from 08:00 to 17:00.

KwaZulu-Natal has the most stations at 5 021, followed by the Eastern Cape (4 984), Limpopo (3 317), Gauteng (2 832), Mpumalanga (1 846), North West (1 730), Western Cape (1 623), Free State (1 614), and the Northern Cape (739).

The number of stations has grown from 23 151 during the 2021 local government elections, driven by the Municipal Demarcation Board’s five-yearly ward review and the commission’s efforts to expand access to registration services.

Registration materials ready

All voter registration materials have been delivered to every province. These include Voter Management Devices (VMDs), stationery packs, directional signage, and document storage boxes.

A total of 39 641 VMDs are available across all stations. The devices have been serviced and tested to ensure they are in working order. They enable real-time citizenship checks, accurate capture of voter details, and seamless updating of the voters’ roll. In areas with no internet, the devices store data locally and upload it once connected to the network.

An independent review of the registration app on the VMD and the online registration portal found both to be ready for the weekend, following code checks, functional testing, and load testing. Any problems found were fixed before the weekend.

More than 48 000 staff deployed

A total of 48 212 staff members have been hired and trained to run the registration weekend. Of these, 37 994 are women and 10 218 are men. Some 22 599 are under the age of 35, 19 806 are between 36 and 50, and 5 807 are 51 or older.

Notably, 34 404 of the hired staff were previously unemployed, highlighting the role that elections play in creating short-term jobs and building skills.

Staff were recruited in line with criteria developed with the National Political Liaison Committee, and their names were shared with Local Political Liaison Committees to allow for any objections.

A call to youth during Youth Month

The registration weekend falls during Youth Month — a time when South Africans honour the role young people have played in building the country’s democracy. The commission is committed to advancing the interests of young people as voters and candidates in the coming elections.

More than 70% of young people aged 18 to 19 have not yet registered to vote. First-time voters in this age group have had fewer chances to get onto the voters’ roll, and the commission urges all eligible young people to use this weekend’s opportunity.

By 31 March 2026, the commission’s Tertiary Institutions Campaign (TIC) had reached 269 552 students across the country. Of these, 158 446 (59%) were newly registered voters. A further TIC campaign will soon be rolled out at universities and colleges nationwide to encourage students to register, check their details, and take part in the elections.

Reaching voters affected by boundary changes

Following changes to municipal boundaries, many voters were moved to different wards and voting districts. The commission visited 303 953 of these affected voters to ensure they remained correctly registered and aware of the changes.

As a result, 51 475 new voters were added and the details of 252 478 others were updated — representing 83% of all records reviewed.

Voter education and outreach

Since the launch of the 2026 local government elections communications campaign on 27 May, the commission has run a nationwide awareness campaign through outdoor advertising and media across the country.

The commission has partnered with the SABC to produce youth-focused television programmes and weave voter education messages into popular television shows and radio dramas. Dedicated 30-minute interview slots are currently running on 159 community radio stations from 8 to 30 June 2026.

Beats for My Peeps, a youth docu-reality show, began on SABC on 3 June 2026 and airs every Wednesday at 18:00. Voter education storylines were introduced into SABC radio dramas and the television show Skeem Saam from 1 June 2026.

The IEC Podcast provides accessible discussions on elections and voter education, while the commission’s WhatsApp channel shares key updates directly with the public.

The commission has held 34 356 civic and democracy education events, reaching more than 6.6 million people nationwide. To further support community outreach ahead of the elections, the commission has hired 834 Municipal Outreach Officers (MOCs), including 52 from the disability sector.

On 11 and 12 June 2026, more than 70 members of Blind SA were trained by the commission to use the Universal Ballot Template (UBT), helping blind and partially sighted voters cast their ballots on their own and with dignity. Workshops with other disability groups are planned and continuing.

Candidate nominations and deposits

Following a public consultation process, the commission has set and published the election deposits for the upcoming elections. Candidates who win at least one seat will have their deposit returned; those who do not will forfeit it to the National Revenue Fund.

The commission is ready to open the Online Candidate Nomination System (OCNS) to registered political parties and prospective independent candidates. Both are advised to ensure their contact details are correct and up to date. Training sessions for submitting candidate nominations and supporters’ lists will begin shortly.

How to register this weekend

The Department of Home Affairs will be open during the registration weekend to help citizens with identity document services.

The commission’s Contact Centre is ready to assist voters through calls, email, live chat, and social media in all official languages. It has already handled 51 400 citizen interactions.

All eligible South Africans are urged to visit their nearest station on 20 or 21 June 2026 to register, check, or update their details. Voters must bring one of the following:

• A South African identity document
• A Smart ID card
• A green barcoded ID book
• A valid Temporary Identity Certificate

Proof of address is not required, but voters must provide a place of ordinary residence.

Voters can also register online here and find their nearest voting station here.

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