(Photo: Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)
Almost 3 million voter interactions were recorded during the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) registration weekend for the 2026 local government elections.
The IEC says the 2.9 million interactions are significantly more than the 1.7 million transactions recorded during the comparable registration weekend before the 2021 election.
The registration weekend was held on 20 and 21 June.
According to the commission, the voter list has now grown to 28.5 million registered voters. The electoral roll used for the national and provincial elections in 2024 contained 27.7 million voters.
The commission says the growth is remarkable because the electoral roll shrinks by around 34,000 names monthly between elections, mainly due to deaths.
Of the 2.9 million interactions, 477,174 were first registrations. Voters checking or updating their details accounted for 2.4 million interactions, or 84% of the total.
Young people between 16 and 29 years old accounted for 785,078 interactions. They also dominated the category for new registrations: 379,767 of the new registrations, or 80%, were young people.
“The figures indicate that the youth-oriented campaign appeals to young people and that young people are far from apathetic,” says the commission.
Most voters still visited polling stations to register or update their details. More than 2.5 million interactions, or 88%, were processed at registration points. The online registration portal was used for 362,296 interactions.
KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most voter interactions with 691,504. The Eastern Cape was second with 534 773, followed by Gauteng with 502 229.
The online voter registration portal has meanwhile been made available without data charges. Voters can therefore register online, update their details and check their registration status without using data for it.
A second registration weekend will take place on August 1 and 2. The commission says it will offer voters another opportunity to register or update their details at registration points nationwide.
The online registration portal will remain available until the 2026 local government election is officially proclaimed.
Registered voters are encouraged to check their registration details online, through the IEC’s app, by texting their ID number to 32810, or by contacting the contact center on 0800 11 8000.