How to vote · voting stations open 07:00–21:00
Every adult citizen has the right to vote, in secret (Constitution s.19(3)). In South Africa you register once, at the address where you live, and vote at that voting district's station with an ID. On 29 May 2024, 16 291 516 of the 27 782 081 people on the roll voted (58,6%).
Who votes
A South African citizen aged 18 or over may be on the voters' roll (Electoral Act s.8(1)). You may apply to register from 16; your name goes on the roll when you turn 18 (s.6(1A)).
Constitution s.19(3) · Electoral Act ss.6, 8You are registered in the voting district of the ward where you ordinarily live (s.8(3)), and you vote there. Moving means re-registering at the new address before the roll closes, which happens on the day an election is proclaimed (for 2026, 7 August 2026).
Electoral Act s.8(3) · IEC timetable 2026To register you need a South African identity document (s.6(1)); to vote, a smart ID card, a green barcoded ID book or a valid temporary identity certificate. Driving licences, passports, student cards and photocopies are not accepted.
SAnews, 26 October 2026The Electoral Commission's own service shows whether you are registered and where to vote. This site does not look anyone up and keeps no voter data.
IEC registration check ↗Polling day
What happens at the voting station, under the Municipal Electoral Act (the Electoral Act has the same steps for national elections).
Step 1 of 5 · 07:00–21:00
You vote only at the voting station of the voting district where you are registered (Municipal Electoral Act s.47(1)). Stations are open from 07:00 to 21:00; anyone already in the queue at 21:00 may still vote (s.45).
Step 2 of 5 · Voting officer
Hand over a smart ID card, a green barcoded ID book or a valid temporary identity certificate. The officer checks that you are the person in it, that your name is on the certified voters' roll for that district, and that you have not voted already (s.47(2)–(3)).
Step 3 of 5 · Voting officer
A short line of visible indelible ink is drawn on your left thumb and thumbnail (another finger if that is not possible), and the back of each ballot paper is stamped with the official mark (ss.47(5), 50).
Step 4 of 5 · You, alone
In an empty voting compartment, mark each paper so that it shows the party or candidate you choose. The IEC asks for one clear X in the box beside your choice on each paper. A spoilt paper not yet in the box can be swapped for a new one (s.49).
Step 5 of 5 · In front of the officer
Fold each paper, show the officer the stamp on the back, put it in the ballot box and leave (s.47(6)). Counting begins at the station when it closes.
Before polling day
A voter who cannot get to their station on polling day may apply to vote early within their own voting district (Municipal Electoral Act s.55). In 2026 applications ran from 21 September 2026 to 12 October 2026, and special votes were cast on 2 November and 3 November 2026, 08:00–17:00.
Election officials bring the ballot papers to voters who cannot travel. In national elections the Act names physical infirmity, disability and pregnancy (Electoral Act s.33(1)(a)).
Voters who will be away or working on polling day vote at their own station on the special-vote days. Election officers and security services on duty also vote early (s.33(1)(b)–(c), (2)).
In national elections only. A registered voter who will be abroad, or who lives abroad, votes at a South African embassy, high commission or consulate after notifying the Chief Electoral Officer (s.33(3)–(4A)); citizens living abroad also show a valid passport (s.6(1)).
The ballot papers
Voters abroad may vote only for the compensatory seats (Electoral Act s.33(5)), so they get the national ballot alone; in 2024 the IEC said the same for voters outside their province of registration. In 2024, 39 116 national ballots were cast abroad.
So two papers in the eight metros and three elsewhere. There is no municipal voting abroad: a voter votes only at their own station, and special votes are cast in the same voting district (Municipal Electoral Act ss.47, 55).
Try it · a practice ballot
Choose an election and where you vote, then mark a paper: tap a box for an X, again for a tick, again to clear it. The parties and candidates are invented.
Electoral Act s.47(3) · Municipal Electoral Act s.61(1)
A name, signature or other mark that shows who voted (a).
A vote for more than one party, or more than one candidate (b).
An unmarked paper (c).
Marked so that the voter's choice cannot reasonably be determined (d).
Without the official mark on the back (e).
Not an official ballot paper (f).
The law asks only for a mark that shows your choice; an X is the IEC's advice, not a legal requirement. In 2024, 213 423 national ballots were spoilt (1,3% of those cast).
Access
A voting aid developed by the IEC with the South African National Council for the Blind, so that voters who are blind or partially sighted can vote on their own and in secret: the ballot paper slides under a flap whose windows, numbered in Braille and large raised print, line up with each party's or candidate's box. Ask the presiding officer for one.
SAnews, 23 May 2024 · IEC leafletA voter who needs help because of a physical disability may be assisted by someone they ask, aged at least 18 and not a party agent or candidate (Municipal Electoral Act s.48(1)).
The presiding officer or a voting officer helps you, with an observer and two agents of different parties present where available, keeping the vote as secret as possible (s.48(2)–(3)).
Voters who cannot travel can apply for a home visit on the special-vote days (above).