South Africans can expect an improved voting experience during the 4 November 2026 Local Government Elections, with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) introducing measures aimed at reducing long queues at polling stations.
The commission acknowledged the frustration caused by lengthy queues during the 2024 general elections and said it had analysed the experience to identify ways of improving efficiency.
The IEC launched its National Results Operation Centre at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, signalling its preparations for the upcoming elections.
IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya said the commission had learnt valuable lessons from the previous elections and had used its data to develop measures to improve voting station operations.
“This commission is a learning commission. In 2024, we had about 850 voting stations across the nation that opened and closed late because there were long queues and so on and so forth.
“We’ve gone to look at our own data. We’ve used that data to good effect. And we have looked at measures for efficiency in every voting station. We do not want long queues,” Moepya said.
The commission’s results screen was also launched, with all political parties initially displaying zero votes. The screen is expected to begin reflecting recorded votes and percentages once special voting concludes on Tuesday, 3 November.
Moepya also assured the public that the IEC’s systems had undergone extensive testing ahead of election day.
“We have undertaken systems audits, and the COO has spoken briefly about this. And I want to assure you that comprehensive performance testing, load evaluation, and independent security audits have been undertaken on the systems and the processes we undertake.
“We have an approval of those processes. We have undertaken operational simulations. Nationwide, country dry runs have been conducted,” he said.
The IEC has also appealed to political parties and members of the public to avoid spreading unverified claims about the elections, warning that the polls are taking place amid high levels of misinformation.