How to vote on 4 November 2026: voting hours, ID you need and how to find your voting station

South Africans head to the polls on Wednesday, 4 November 2026 to elect the councillors who will run their municipalities for the next five years. About 29 million people are registered to vote in these local government elections, the first since the Government of National Unity was formed in 2024.

Local government is the level of government that decides whether your water runs, your streetlights work and your refuse is collected. Here is everything you need to know before you go out to vote.

What time do voting stations open on 4 November?

Voting stations open at 7am and close at 9pm. If you are standing in the queue at 9pm, you will still be allowed to vote. Election day has been declared a public holiday so that as many people as possible can take part.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is running nearly 23,700 voting stations across the country.

What ID do I need to vote?

You must bring one of the following original documents:

• A green, barcoded South African ID book
• A smart ID card
• A valid Temporary Identity Certificate (TIC)

Not accepted: driver’s licences, passports or photocopies of your ID. If you have lost your ID, the Department of Home Affairs can issue a Temporary Identity Certificate, but you need it before voting day.

How do I find my voting station?

You must vote at the station in the ward where you registered, and some voting stations have moved since the last election. Check before you leave home:

The voters’ roll closed on 7 August 2026, so you cannot register on the day.

How many ballots will I get?

That depends on where you live:

• Metro municipalities (such as Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Cape Town and eThekwini): two ballots. One is for your ward councillor and the other is a proportional representation (PR) ballot for a party.
• Local municipalities that fall under a district: three ballots. These are a ward ballot, a PR ballot for your local council and a PR ballot for your district council.

Expect long PR ballots in the big metros. In Gauteng, 75 parties are listed in Johannesburg and 70 in Tshwane, so take your time in the booth.

What about special votes?

Special votes take place on Monday, 2 November and Tuesday, 3 November, from 8am to 5pm. They are only for voters whose applications were approved. Applications closed on 12 October. Approved elderly, disabled, ill or pregnant voters may receive a home visit from IEC officials.

Do I get paid if I work on election day?

Because 4 November is a public holiday, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act applies:

• If it is a normal working day for you and you do work, you must get at least double your normal daily wage. If your ordinary wage plus pay for the work you do comes to more, you get that higher amount.
• If it is a normal working day and you don’t work, you still get your normal pay for the day.
• Working on a public holiday must be agreed between you and your employer.

Grant payments moved because of the election

SASSA brought November grant payments forward to avoid clashing with voting day. Read our full guide to the SASSA payment dates for November 2026.

What is at stake?

More than 136,000 candidates have been certified to contest about 10,500 council seats in 257 municipalities. These are 8 metros, 205 local municipalities and 44 district councils. The main battlegrounds are the Gauteng metros and eThekwini, where no party won an outright majority in 2021 and coalition governments have struggled. The MK Party is also contesting municipal elections for the first time.

Classicnews7 will publish results as they come in from the IEC results centre. Bookmark our Politics section.