Beyond 546 Parties: What South Africa's Longest Ballot Means

South Africa will vote with the longest ballot in its history on 4 November 2026. President Cyril
Ramaphosa has declared the day a public holiday.
According to the Electoral Commission (IEC), 546 of the 732 registered political parties will contest the
municipal polls, up from 325 in 2021. The Commission said it received 142,072 candidate nominations, a
43 percent increase compared to about 99,000 in 2021.
Of the nominated candidates, 40,241 were put forward for proportional representation (PR) seats and
100,856 for ward seats. After verification, the IEC certified 136,790 candidates to contest 10,526 council
seats across eight metros, 44 district and 205 local municipalities.
The scale is biggest in the metros. The IEC said the City of Johannesburg will have 80 parties on its PR
ballot, followed by Tshwane with 72, eThekwini with 70, Ekurhuleni with 69 and Cape Town with 55.
Political analyst Professor André Duvenhage told The Informer that the large number of parties
contesting the elections reflects growing social division. He said it is positive that parties are allowed to
contest, but warned that an overcrowded ballot could confuse voters, especially where parties use
similar colours
"Many young people say they will not vote, so having more parties on the ballot does not guarantee
higher voter turnout. People believe that their vote is not going to make a difference," Duvenhage said.
In 2021, voter turnout fell to a record low of about 46 percent, leaving more than 60 hung councils. In
2024, the national vote fragmented further, with 52 parties on the ballot and 18 entering Parliament.
Since 2021, many hung councils have struggled with unstable leadership, delayed budgets and disrupted
service delivery.
Duvenhage said the country is likely to face that challenge again. The IEC now faces a practical challenge
which includes printing, managing and counting a 546-party ballot, and ensuring voters can use it.
The IEC has said special votes will be held on 2 and 3 November, with nearly 29.2 million voters registered. Its campaign tagline is "Get Up, Show Up, Vote."