Over a million South Africans start the 2021 Local Government Elections by casting their special votes

30 OCTOBER 2021

The 2021 Local Government Elections kicked off today – 30 October 2021 – when the voters who registered for special votes began casting their votes. 

Electoral Commission has approved a record 1 110 257 applications for special votes in the 2021 Municipal Elections. The figure represents a 62% increase in the number of special votes compared to a corresponding election in 2016. 

Of the 1 110 194 applications received, 507 364 (49%) are home visits and 602 780 (51%) will be cast at a voting station.

Election officials will visit the addresses provided by voters who applied for home visits at some point over these two days. They will only visit the address once. If the voter is not present at the given address, they will not be able to cast a special vote. These voters must be home to cast special votes.  Home visits are provided for those largely unable to travel to the voting station due to infirmity and other circumstances leading to immobility.

Those who applied to cast a special vote at their voting station must do so between 8am and 5pm on 30 October and 31 October 2021. (Note: These are different from the voting hours of 7.00am to 9.00pm on Election Day.)

A voter whose application for a special vote was approved but who for whatever reason was unable to cast a special vote may still cast their ballot at their voting station on Election Day.

The Electoral Commission welcomes the increase in applications for special votes as an encouraging sign of significant voter interest in the 2021 Municipal Elections.  The positive response by voters is also a reflection of the accessibility of the application process which allow voters to apply online, via SMS and by way of physical submission at a local office of the Electoral Commission.

A total of 39 per cent applications were received online, 13 per cent via SMS and 47 per cent were received and captured at a local office of the Electoral Commission.

The special voting process is subject to all the same security and integrity protocols of normal voting – including scrutiny by party agents and observers.  Additional checks include the use of the double envelope system which allows the special votes to be reconciled against the voters’ roll and the list of approved special votes but still preserve the secrecy of the voters’ ballot. 

All special votes collected are stored securely overnight on 30 and 31 October and are then opened, reconciled and added to the ordinary ballots cast on 1 November 2021 before counting begins.

The Commission thanks South Africans who have registered for Special Votes.

Statement issued by the Electoral Commission, 31 October 2021