• I want to
    • Check my voter registration status
    • See where my voting station is
    • Update my address
    • Who is my ward councillor
    • Check status of my special vote application
    • Create my IEC voter portal profile
    • Do business with the IEC
  • Voters

    Registration

    • Check my voter registration status
    • Update my address
    • Moved since you registered?
    • Special vote online application

    Voting

    • Find my voting station
    • Apply for a special vote
    • Special vote application status
    • Who is my ward councillor?

    Voter information centre

    • Voters' roll and statistics
    • How to register to vote
    • How to vote
    • Why vote
    • Special votes
    • Voting abroad
    • Download our mobile app
    • Voting aid for voters with disabilities
    • Voter forms
    • Report electoral fraud
    • Voter educational material
  • Parties and candidates

    Contesting elections

    • Online candidate nomination
    • Party liaison committees
    • How to register a party
    • How to contest national and provincial elections
    • How to contest municipal elections
    • Independent ward candidates
    • Party contact information

    Party and candidate information centre

    • Overview
    • Electoral code of conduct
    • Party liaison committees
    • Political party and candidate forms
    • Party registration statistics
    • FAQs
  • Party funding
    • Overview
    • Party Funding background
    • Represented Political Party Fund
    • Multi-party Democracy Fund
    • Private funding of political parties
    • Online Party Funding System
    • Published Declarations Reports
    • Documents
    • FAQs
  • Elections

    Overview

    • Election results and statistics
    • Electoral code of conduct
    • Election guides
    • Election campaigns

    Municipal by-elections

    • Municipal by-elections dashboard
    • Downloadable election results

    Municipal local government elections

    • Municipal local government elections dashboard
    • Downloadable election results
    • 2016 Atlas of results
    • Election reports
    • How Council seats are calculated

    National and provincial elections

    • Downloadable election results
    • 2019 Atlas of results
    • Election reports
    • How National assembly and Provincial legislature seats are calculated
  • Information centre

    Key processes and roleplayers

    • Voting
    • Counting
    • Objections
    • Observers
    • Party agents
    • About voting districts and stations

    Election results and statistics

    • Election results
    • Voters' roll and statistics
    • Party registration statistics
    • Ward councillor statistics
    • Atlas of results

    General

    • About the voters' roll
    • 2011 Census maps
    • Voters' roll FAQ
    • Document library
    • e-Learning
  • About the IEC

    Who we are

    • Organogram
    • Vision, mission and values
    • Annual reports
    • Publications and speeches

    Document library and publications

    • Our views
    • Annual reports and strategic documents
    • Court rulings
    • Laws and regulations
    • Notices and tenders

    Key links

    • Contact us
    • Find our offices
    • Doing business with us
    • Media and Journalist centre
    • Jobs

How to vote

You've decided you're going to vote in the upcoming election, but not sure what to expect or what you have to do? Welcome to our guide to the voting process.

Share this page:

1: Find your correct voting station

Ensure that you have the address for the correct voting station for the voting district in which you are registered. Most voting stations are located in community buildings like local schools, churches or community centres. Where buildings are not available, voting stations are set up in tents in parks or other open land. In some sparsely-populated rural areas we use specially adapted vehicles as mobile voting stations. Every voting station has large clear signs outside marking it as a voting station.

Use the Voting Station Finder to find your correct station.

2: Present your valid identification document to the door controller at the entrance of the voting station

At the entrance of the voting station is an election official who serves as a door controller. He or she will check that you have a valid identification document (green barcoded ID book, smart-card ID or temporary ID certificate), will scan this document, and present you with a slip that confirms that you are a registered voter. The door controller will also tell you when it is your turn to enter the station and will advise where to go once inside the voting station.

3: Check that you are on the voters' roll

Once inside the voting station you will proceed to the voters' roll table where election officials will take your ID document and check for your name and identity number on the segment of the national common voters' roll for that voting district. Your name will then be crossed off – this is a manual mechanism for ensuring that voters only vote once. An election official will then ink your left thumb nail. This is a special ink that will not wash off your nail for several days. This ink mark will show everyone that you have participated in the election!

4: Get your ballot papers

An election official will then hand you your ballot papers – which they will tear off a pad. Each ballot paper has a unique number and you must make sure that there is a stamp at the back of your ballot papers to verify that they were issued to you on that Election Day. For national and provincial elections voters generally receive two ballot papers (one for the national and one for the provincial election), whereas for municipal elections voters in metros and local councils receive two ballot papers (one for a ward councillor and one for a political party as part of the PR section of the election. Voters in areas which form part of a district council receive a third ballot paper for the district council election.

5: Get your identification documents stamped

Your green ID book, if that was your identification document, will then be stamped by an election official to show that you participated in the election.

6: Find an empty voting booth and make your 'X'

You will then be directed to an empty voting booth. Here you will place your X in the box next to the political party and/or candidate of your choice. To avoid a spoilt ballot, ensure that you make only one mark on each ballot paper and that your mark is clear. If you make a mistake call an election official and they will provide you with a new ballot paper. When you are finished, fold your ballot papers in half and leave the voting booth.
Just a reminder – you are not allowed to photograph your marked ballot paper. so no selfies please!

7: Cast your vote

An election official stationed at the ballot box will check that there is a stamp at the back of each of your ballots. Having made your mark, drop your completed ballot paper through the slot in the top of the ballot box.

8: Ensuring voting is free and fair

After casting your vote, you will then be directed to the exit. Remember that political party representatives and independent observers (both national and international) are present throughout the voting and counting process to observe the process and to ensure it is free and fair.

Explore IEC

What we do
Mission, vision and values
Financial reporting
Organogram
Research
Jobs

Our resources

Election results and statistics
Financial reporting
Laws and regulations
Media
Speeches, documents and publications
Voter education

Our partners

South African COVID-19 resource portal
Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB)
Department of Home Affairs (DHA)
Department of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs (COGTA)
South African foreign missions (DIRCO)
Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)
GovChat

Connect with us

Contact us
Find IEC offices
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
0600 88 0000
YouTube

    © Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)

  |  Copyright  |  Disclaimer