Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has indicated that electronic voting (e-voting) is improbable for the 2026 local government elections.
This follows the recent IEC-hosted e-voting conference, which explored the potential transition from the current paper-based voting system to an electronic model.
IEC’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Sy Mamabolo, said that while the conference was positive, it was still too early to overhaul the country’s electoral system.
“It is important to note the commission has not yet made a decision on the use of e-voting, and certainly this is not contemplated for use in next year’s municipal elections,” he said.
However, he said the commission launched a discussion document to start a country discussion on the use of technology in elections.
According to Mamabolo, the policy discussion document assessed, among others; reasons for considering the introduction of e-voting in South Africa; the relevant constitutional principles, policy and legal framework that must precede the introduction of e-voting in the country and available e-voting options, their technologies, and cost implications.
The IEC briefed the media in Centurion on Wednesday on its plans and preparations ahead of the much-anticipated local elections.
Mamabolo confirmed that they had already begun preparations for the next general elections of the municipal council.
He said the commission will assess to ensure that the boundaries of its network of 23, 292 voting districts are aligned to the wards.
“In instances where, as a result of the demarcation of wards, voting districts no longer accord to the wards, the Electoral Commission will undertake projects to communicate and re-register the affected voters to ensure that they are registered inwards of ordinary residence,” he said.
He reckoned that because the 2021 elections were held on November 1, then the upcoming ones should be held between November 2, 2026, and January 30, 2027.
Meanwhile, Mamabolo said the commission will give the public a period of six months to give inputs for the consideration of the e-voting system in the country.
Politics
