Elections & Voting Rights

Considering that South Africa is split into provinces and municipalities, the elections are split into two groups. In 2024, the election that will take place will be to elect the National and Provincial government. A separate election is held to elect the municipal governments. The next municipal elections are set to take place in 2026.

In light of the constitutional right to a free election, the Electoral Act provides that no-one may force or unlawfully persuade another person to register as a voter, to go and vote or not to vote, to cast a vote for a specific party and so on. If this is done, a person can be found guilty of a criminal offence and can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. 

It is important to note that you need to vote at the voting station in the district where you are registered to vote. This is extra important in municipal elections. In respect of national and provincial elections, you still need to vote in your registered district. However, if you happen to be out of that district, you will only be able to vote for national government and not the provincial government. If you want to vote outside of your registered district for both, you will be asked to complete a VEC 4 form at the voting station.

Section 40 of the Electoral Act 73 of 1998 states that if a voter makes a mistake on their ballot paper before they have placed it in the ballot box, they may give it back to the presiding officer at the voting station, who will then issue them with a new ballot paper. That ballot paper will be marked as cancelled and be dealt with as provided for under the Electoral Act.