If your address is missing or incomplete on the voters' roll, the IEC may ask you to complete an REC1 form at a separate table in the voting station.

Important: This is a normal process and part of the IEC's efforts to continuously populate the voters' roll with voters' address details. You are not required to show any proof of residence.

Yes, you can use the IEC's online tool to check which voting station you, or your loved one, are registered to vote at. Visit registertovote.elections.org.za and enter their ID number.

No. The Electoral Commission uses manual voting systems. You must vote in person at your designated voting station or apply for a special vote (home visit) if you are unable to travel.

No, you do not. All you will need is your valid, green, barcoded ID book; temporary ID; or smart ID card. You do not need any FICA-type documents or proof of residence.

No, this is not a problem. The Electoral Commission uses your ID number and checks it against the National Population Register (NPR). They get your name as it's reflected on the NPR – the Department of Home Affairs automatically changes your name when you get married, and that is the name that appears on the voters' roll.

You can apply to Home Affairs for a new ID reflecting your married name if you want to, but it is not required for voting.

Yes, as long as your name is on the voters' roll, you will be allowed to vote.

Check your registration status by visiting registertovote.elections.org.za. If your name isn't on the voters' roll and you don't have your registration sticker (or another form of proof that you are registered), you have no proof that you have registered, and you won't be able to vote.

You must be a registered voter in order to vote. If you are registered, your name will appear on the voters' roll.

To confirm that you are registered and that your name is on the voters' roll – and to find out at which voting station you are registered – please visit registertovote.elections.org.za.

No. Every voter must vote in person at the voting station or by home visit special vote. No proxy voting is allowed.

Yes. The Electoral Commission (IEC), together with the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB), has developed a voting aid, the Universal Ballot Template (UBT), to assist persons with disabilities and special needs to have an independent and secret vote during elections.

The UBT can be used by:

• Blind and partially-sighted people
• Low-vision users
• People who are dyslexic
• The elderly
• People with low literacy
• People with motor and nervous conditions

Download the UBT fact sheet →

Yes. You can take anyone who is at least 18 years old and not a party agent with you to the voting station to help you cast your vote.

You can also ask the presiding officer at the voting station to help you and/or provide you with a voting aid known as a Universal Ballot Template (UBT).

By-election results are published on the Electoral Commission website usually the day after by-elections. They are also shared with the media.

Visit: www.elections.org.za

If you are unable to stand in a queue at the voting station, please indicate this to one of the IEC officials, who we trust will usher the elderly to the front of the queues.

We also encourage the IEC to provide chairs in the queue for South African seniors and people with disabilities.

If you are unable to vote on election day due to physical infirmity, disability, pregnancy, or absence from your voting district, you can apply for a special vote.

Special votes allow you to vote at your voting station on a designated day before the election, or via a home visit by IEC officials. Applications open approximately 2 months before election day.

By-elections are held when a councillor resigns, passes away, or is removed from office between general elections. They can happen at any time.

Check your ward regularly: Your ward may have a by-election before the 2026 Local Government Elections. Stay registered and ready to vote.