LGE 2026: What voters need to know about double-column ballots

Voters in Johannesburg, Tshwane, eThekwini and Ekurhuleni will encounter double-column PR ballots because the number of parties contesting seats exceeds 48.

Voters in Johannesburg, Tshwane, eThekwini and Ekurhuleni will encounter double-column proportional representation (PR) ballots in the November 4 local government elections because of the large number of parties contesting in the metros.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said the high number of parties contesting PR seats in some municipalities had implications for the design of ballot papers.

“For instance, a double-column ballot paper is inevitable where there are more than 48 parties on that PR ballot,” IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said.

Johannesburg has the highest number of parties contesting its PR ballot with 75, followed by Tshwane with 70, eThekwini with 69 and Ekurhuleni with 67.

The City of Cape Town will also have more than 48 parties on its PR ballot, with 55 parties contesting.

The double-column format will allow the large number of parties contesting PR seats to be accommodated on the ballot paper.

The IEC has not yet provided the final physical arrangement of the 2026 ballot.

The ballot-paper draw is scheduled for September 23, when the order of parties on the ballot papers will be determined and the printing process can proceed.

For voters in the affected metros, the PR ballot will be one of the two ballots used in the municipal election, alongside the ward ballot.

The large number of ward candidates will also affect ward ballot papers in some metros.

“Similarly, the large number of ward candidates in these metros will result in double ballots for ward candidates. For example, Ward 18 in the City of Johannesburg has 63 candidates,” Mamabolo said.

The number of parties and ward candidates differs between municipalities, meaning ballot papers will not be the same everywhere.

The five metros identified by the IEC have more than 48 parties contesting their PR seats, requiring a double-column format.