As South Africa’s preparations for the general elections of municipal councils are advancing methodically and nearing key implementation milestones, first and foremost remind all South Africans eligible to vote, to register where they ordinarily reside. Once the election date has been announced, they must vote where they are registered.
During the media briefing held on 10 March 2026, the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Sy Mamabolo announced the voter registration weekend to be on 20-21 June 2026 to maximise registration opportunities closer to where voters reside. The intended outcome of the registration weekend is to facilitate access to franchise and broaden electoral participation. The timing of this registration weekend aligns with the current planning assumption, namely, that the Commission must stand ready to administer elections whenever, they are lawfully called. This alignment ensures procedural certainty, operational
readiness and full compliance with the legal framework.
Following the completion of the process of voter registration, the Electoral Commission anticipates the proclamation of the election date by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Once the election date is proclaimed, eligible voters will have until midnight on that same day to register to vote.
The proclamation of the election date will formally trigger the performance of activities that underpin the election timetable. These will include:
• The certification and publication of the voters’ roll
• Inspection of the voters’ roll and the lodging of objections
• Consideration and adjudication of objections by the Commission
• Submission of candidate nominations and the applicable cut-off deadlines
In a local government election, there is no legal facility to vote outside of the voting station of registration. This is a necessary requirement as it ensures that voters vote in a ward election that has a relationship with their place of ordinary residence. In other words, voters vote forward councillors to represent the communities in which they live. — Electoral Commission