Over 1.3 million cast special votes as IEC warns against misinformation

Voting stations on the second and last day of special votes in the 2026 Local Government Elections opened on time while home visit teams continued with the visitation schedule as planned, the Electoral Commission said on Tuesday.

By midday, more than 1.3 million voters had already cast their votes.

At a media briefing in Midrand, the Electoral Commission’s Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said the second day of Special Votes proceeded well with stations opening at 8am and on course to close at the end of special votes at 5pm.

Mamabolo added that special voters who could not reach their voting stations by 5pm, will be allowed to vote on Voting Day, 4 November 2026.

Mamabolo also reminded the voters that the Local Government Elections are not similar to the National and Provincial elections saying in these elections, voters receive either two or three ballot papers depending on the municipality where they are registered.

“The Commission reminds voters to make one X in the box next to their preferred candidate or political party per ballot paper. Marking more than one choice or making addition marks may result in a ballot being spoilt,” he explained.

The Commission explained that each ballot paper represents a separate vote and must be marked individually.

“Make your choice carefully, ensure that you are marking the correct ballot paper and fold each completed ballot before placing it in the appropriate ballot box,” Mamabolo said.

As part of efforts to ensure inclusivity, and an independent, secret vote to persons who are virtually impaired, the Commission has produced two types of Universal Ballot Templates (UBT). Every voting station is equipped with a single and double column UBT to accommodate the ballot paper variations.

“To accommodate these varying length of ballot papers, Presiding Officers  who are assisting a blind voter will read out the numbers as they align to the UBT windows and not necessary in sequential order,” he said.

Special voting commenced on Monday, 2 November. 

Meanwhile, he added that over the past 24 hours, the Commission’s information integrity hub has identified growing attempts to impugn the integrity of the election process, especially via social media platforms.

“Unsubstantiated election fraud pronouncement by some.. has led to supporters posting videos of presiding officers and staff transferring special vote ballots, after home visits, from the carrying boxes and bags into the main ballot box. The videos are shared without context, alongside claims that something untoward is happening. 

“We urge citizens not to take any such social posts at face value, and to check the context before sharing. If you come across content that looks false or misleading, including AI-generated material, report it at www.real411.org.za.

The Commission appealed to political parties to avoid making inflammatory remarks which misrepresent the standard procedures regarding the voting process and handling of election materials.

“Where political parties and candidates pick up aberrations by election officials, they are supposed to use the established reporting mechanisms so that the Commission can trigger the appropriate mitigation measures. The Commission has already swiftly acted on election officials who fell short of carrying out their duties as required,” it said.

It added that the Real411 platform registered 34 complaints comprising misinformation/disinformation, incitement to violence, hate speech and harassment. 

“The most dominant platforms used are Twitter / X at 58.8 %, followed by TikTok 23.5 %. Facebook and WhatsApp account for 8.8% of the complaints each,” it said. -SAnews.gov.za 

 

 

Source: Original report at SAnews.gov.za.