Voting Day is here - Here's how to mark your ballots and avoid fake news, IEC tells voters

Voting Day for the 2026 Local Government Elections has arrived, and the Electoral Commission says it is ready to receive voters across the country as it urges citizens to understand their ballot papers and ignore disinformation.

Voting stations will open at 07h00 and close at 21h00 on Wednesday. The Commission said any voter who is in the queue by 21h00 will still be allowed to vote.

The announcement follows two days of special voting on 2 and 3 November, which the Commission said provided valuable operational experience ahead of Election Day.

For voters heading to the polls today, the IEC has issued a guide on how to mark ballots to avoid spoilt votes.

In local municipalities where three ballots are issued, voters will receive three different coloured ballot papers.

"Grey ballot paper: For electing a ward councillor, who may be a candidate representing a political party or an independent candidate. Green ballot paper: For choosing a political party to represent them through proportional representation (PR) in the local municipal council. Yellow ballot paper: For choosing a political party to represent them in the district municipal council through proportional representation," the Commission explained.

Voters must make one clear X in the designated box next to their preferred candidate or party on each ballot paper.

"Only one choice may be made per ballot paper. Selecting more than one candidate or political party, or making additional marks that compromise the validity of the ballot, may result in the ballot being rejected," the IEC warned.

The Commission reminded voters that they can only vote at the voting station where they are registered and must present a green bar-coded South African ID, Smart ID card or a valid Temporary Identification Certificate.

It also reaffirmed its commitment to accessible voting, with every voting station equipped with Universal Ballot Templates (UBTs) for blind and visually impaired voters.

Alongside its operational readiness, the IEC has issued a strong warning against disinformation that has surged in the last 24 hours.

The Commission's Information Integrity Hub has identified increased attempts to undermine public confidence in the electoral process, particularly on social media, where videos of presiding officers transferring special-vote ballots from secure containers into main ballot boxes after home visits are being circulated without context as alleged proof of fraud.

"The Commission wishes to clarify that election materials must be handled in accordance with established electoral procedures. Videos depicting electoral activities should not be interpreted as evidence of wrongdoing without proper context and verification," the Commission said.

It appealed to political parties and supporters to refrain from inflammatory statements and circulating misleading content.

The Real411 platform has registered 34 complaints relating to misinformation and disinformation, incitement to violence, hate speech and harassment. Twitter/X accounted for 58.8% of complaints, followed by TikTok at 23.5%, with Facebook and WhatsApp each accounting for 8.8%.

"The public is urged not to accept or share online content at face value. Citizens should verify the source, context and accuracy of information before sharing it, particularly where content may be manipulated or generated using artificial intelligence," the IEC said.

The Commission said it has flagged false posts and escalated certain posts to social media platforms for removal, while taking swift action where officials fell short of required standards.