Midrand:Special Voting for the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE) commenced today, with activities taking place across various homes and voting stations nationwide. The Electoral Commission is scheduled to provide an update on the day's proceedings at lunchtime.

According to South African Government News Agency, Special Voting is designed to assist registered voters unable to reach voting stations due to physical infirmity or other reasons preventing them from voting on Election Day at their registered wards. The Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, will update the media on the progress of special votes at a briefing at 1 p.m. today at the National Operations Centre in Midrand.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced on Sunday that 2,655,067 voters have been approved for special voting. The voting is divided into home visits and station-based special voting, taking place on Monday and Tuesday. Special voting started at 8 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m. on both days.

Of the voters approved for special voting, 678,525 will vote at their residences due to physical infirmity or disability, with a gender split of 74% females and 26% males. KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of approved home visits, with 143,714, followed by Gauteng. Additionally, 1,976,542 voters will cast their special votes at their registered stations, with 64% being female and 36% male. Gauteng also leads in this category with 391,589 approved station-based special votes.

The Commission reminded voters approved for voting station special votes to report to their registered stations on 2 or 3 November 2026, during designated hours. Voters approved for home-visit special voting were advised to remain at their registered addresses on Monday and Tuesday to facilitate the voting process when officials arrive. The Commission has expressed confidence in its readiness to administer the special voting process.