Electoral Commission on state of readiness for registration weekend

Registration Weekend: Electoral Commission ready to welcome voters, calls on eligible citizens to register and update details.

The Electoral Commission declares its full readiness to welcome South Africans of voting age at all 23 706 voting stations nationwide during the voter registration weekend on 20 and 21 June 2026.

The voters’ roll currently stands at 28 million registered voters, despite ongoing monthly reductions of approximately 34 000 due to mortality. The voters’ roll stood at 27.7 million during the 2024 general elections. The online registration platform is proving to be a crucial element in the growth of the voters’ roll.

In the context of a local government election the correct placement of voters in wards is a crucial element for the delivery of free and fair elections. The Commission calls on every voter to update their details especially the address as this will place them on the correct ward segment of the voters’ roll. Therefore, the voter registration weekend offers an opportunity ensure that voters' details are accurately captured and updated.

Furthermore, in local government elections voters vote in the voting district in which they are registered. There is no statutory mechanism to vote outside of the voting district in which voters are registered. This has been part of the framework since the establishment of democratic local government in the year 2000.

Registration stations

Over the two-day registration weekend, all 23 706 voting stations comprising 22 718 permanent stations, 960 temporary stations and 28 mobile stations for remote communities. Registration stations will operate from 08h00 to 17h00.

The KwaZulu-Natal province has the highest number of registration stations at 5 021, followed closely by the Eastern Cape with 4 984, Limpopo with 3 317, Gauteng with 2 832 stations, Mpumalanga 1 846, Northwest 1 730, Western Cape 1 623, Free State 1 614 stations, and the Northern Cape with 739. The geographic spread and number of these registration stations ensure access, inclusivity and facilitates maximum participation in the registration process.

The increase in the number of stations from 23 151 in the 2021 Local Government Elections is driven by the five-yearly review of wards by the Municipal Demarcation Board and the Commission’s efforts to expand accessibility to voter registration services.

Voter registration materials

The Electoral Commission has successfully delivered all essential voter registration materials across all provinces. The materials include Voter Management Devices (VMDs), stationery packs, directional signage and document storage boxes.

A stock of 39 641 VMDs is available to service the registration stations across the country. These devices have undergone necessary maintenance to ensure that they are fit-for-purpose. These devices are central to modern voter registration operations, enabling real-time citizenship verification, accurate capture of voter details, and seamless integration with the voters’ roll. Where there is no bandwidth connectivity, these devices will operate by storing registration data on their local storage and such data will be uploaded later when the device is connected to the network.

Furthermore, the Commission has undertaken external reviews of the registration APP on the VMD and the Registration Portal. 
The findings that have been identified during these external reviews have been remediated. The reviews involved code assessment, functional testing and load testing. Overall, at normal load volume both the Registration Portal and the Registration APP have been found to be ready for this weekend.

Registration Staff

The Commission has appointed and trained 48 212 registration staff who will be deployed to ensure a smooth and efficient voter registration process across all registration stations. Of the appointed staff members, 37 994 are women and 10 218 are men. 

Furthermore, 22 599 staff members are under the age of 35, while 19 806 are between the ages of 36 and 50. The rest of 5807 staff members are aged 51 years and older. 

Significantly, 34 404 of the appointed staff members are unemployed qualified persons. This highlights the important contribution that electoral events make towards temporary employment opportunities and skills development.

The recruitment criteria for registration staff were developed in consultation with the National Political Liaison Committee. On the other hand, the names of appointed staff members were shared with the Local Political Liaison Committees to allow for objections against any individuals deemed unsuitable for appointment.

Call for Youth Participation During Youth Month

The voter registration weekend takes place during Youth Month, a period in which South Africans honour the pivotal role young people have played in shaping the country's democratic journey. The Commission reaffirms a commitment to advancing the aspirations of young persons as voters and candidates in the forthcoming elections.

Given that youth in the age category 18-19 years have not had multiple opportunities to enlist on the voters’ roll and since they just become age eligble, over 70% in this age cohort are still to register. The Electoral Commission urges all eligible youth, especially first-time voters, to seize this opportunity to register to participate in these elections.

The Commission’s Tertiary Institutions Campaign (TIC) continues to strengthen youth participation. By 31 March 2026, the campaign had reached 269 552 students nationwide, of whom 158 446 (59%) were newly registered voters.

Building on these positive results, the Commission will soon roll out another TIC campaign to encourage eligible students to register to vote, verify their registration details, and participate actively in the democratic process at all tertiary institutions across the country.

Targeted Communication and Registration Campaign

Because of the municipal boundary re-determination process, a number of voters were reassigned to different wards and voting districts. To ensure that affected citizens remain correctly registered and informed of these changes, the Electoral Commission undertook an extensive targeted communication and registration campaign, visiting 303 953 affected voters across the country.

During this process, the Commission successfully added 51 475 new voters and updated the registration details of 252 478 voters, representing 83% of the overall total of 303 953 records processed. This initiative reinforces the Commission’s commitmentto an accurate voters’ roll and ensuring all eligible citizens can vote in their correct wards.

Civic and Democracy Education

Following the national launch of the 2026 Local Government Elections communications campaign on 27 May, the Commission has rolled out a nationwide multimedia awareness campaign across the country. We have mounted robust outdoor advertising and media campaigns across national and regional media platforms to ensure broad public awareness and participation. We have partnered with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in producing youth-focused television programmes and voter education storyline integrations into popular television shows and radio drama to encourage greater youth participation.

Dedicated 30-minute interview slots are currently being broadcast on 159 community radio stations nationwide. Running from 8 to 30 June 2026, the initiative aims to encourage as many South Africans as possible to register to vote and actively participate in the forthcoming elections

Beats for My Peeps, a youth docu-reality show that premiered on SABC on 3 June 2026 and airs every Wednesday at 18:00, continues to engage young voters through music, arts and informative content. In addition, voter education storyline integration commenced on 1 June 2026 across SABC radio dramas on multiple stations as well as in the television drama Skeem Saam. The Commission continues to use popular entertainment platforms to promote voter registration, civic responsibility and democratic participation.

The IEC Podcast further supports public engagement by providing accessible discussions on electoral processes, voter education and democracy. In addition, the Commission’s WhatsApp channel ensures that key electoral updates, voter registration information and voter education content are shared directly with members of the public in a timely, accessible and convenient manner

The Commission has significantly expanded its voter education and outreach programme, conducting 34 356 Civic and Democracy Education events that have to date reached more than 6.6 million people nationwide. To further strengthen community engagement ahead of the elections, the Commission has recruited 834 Municipal Outreach Officers (MOCs). The MOCs include 52 from the disability sector, reinforcing the Commission’s commitment to inclusive electoral participation.

On 11 and 12 June 2026, the Commission trained over 70 members of Blind SA on the use of the Universal Ballot Template (UBT) as part of its efforts to promote inclusive electoral participation. The initiative aims to empower blind and visually impaired voters to confidently cast their ballots independently, and with dignity during the forthcoming elections. Workshops with additional disability groups are planned and ongoing to ensure that the Commission engages across the full spectrum of disabilities and incorporates diverse perspectives into its electoral programmes and services.

Election Deposits and Online Candidate Nomination

Following an extensive public consultation process, the Commission has determined and published the election deposits applicable to the upcoming elections. These deposits are to be paid by those who intend to participate in the forthcoming election.

Those participants who secures at least one seat in the election have their deposits returned to them. Those who fail in this regard, their deposits are forfeited to the National Revenue Fund.

With the deposits now determined, the Commission is ready to make the Online Candidate Nomination System (OCNS) available to registered political parties and prospective independent candidates to capture their candidate and supporterinformation, respectively. Political parties and prospective independent candidates are advised to ensure that their contact details are accurate and up to date to facilitate effective communication from the Commission.

The Commission will shortly commence training sessions for registered political parties and prospective independent candidates to prepare them for the submission of candidate nominations and supporters’ lists.

Call to action

South Africans, Get Up and Show Up this Saturday and Sunday.

The Electoral Commission welcomes the Department of Home Affairs' decision to operate during the registration weekend providing identity document services toensure eligible citizens have the necessary documentation to register to vote.

The Electoral Commission’s Contact Centre is also fully equipped to support voters and stakeholders through a multi-channel service offering assistance via voice, email, live chat, and social media in all official languages. To date, it has successfully managed 51 400 citizen interactions, reflecting its capacity to provide accessible and responsive voter support.

We call on all eligible South Africans to take full advantage of the voter registration weekend on 20 and 21 June 2026 to register, verify, or update their details on the voters’ roll. Citizens must ensure they present a South African identity document, Smart ID card, green barcoded ID book, or valid Temporary Identity Certificate, when registering or updating their details. Proof of address is not requirement for registration but the provision of a place of ordinary residence is required.

The Commission also encourages voters to use the online voter registration portal at registertovote.elections.org.za and to locate their correct voting station via maps.elections.org.za.

The Commission remains committed to delivering free, fair, and credible elections and urges all eligible citizens to play their part in strengthening South Africa’s constitutional democracy through active voter registration and participation.

Bafana Bafana

Finally, we wish Bafana Bafana all the best for tonight’s FIFA World Cup Group A match against Czechia. As we rally behind our national team, we also encourage all eligible South Africans to play their part by registering to vote during the upcoming voter registration weekend.

Get Up.Show Up.Vote

For media queries: Please contact Kate Bapela on 082 600 6386

For media interviews: Email requests to spokesperson@elections.org.za

#ServicedeliveryZA