Think your ward vote went wrong? You have until 5pm Friday to object

If you saw something go wrong at your voting station on 4 November that could change who won, you have until 17:00 on Friday, 6 November 2026 to lodge a formal objection with the Electoral Commission (IEC). This is called a section 65 objection, and the IEC only accepts it for problems that could affect the result (IEC).

Who can lodge an objection?

Any interested party can object, including ordinary members of the public, independent candidates and political parties (IEC).

What counts as a valid objection?

It must relate to one of these (IEC):

• any part of the voting or counting process
• unlawful interference with, or obstruction of, election activities at or near a voting station
• intimidation, unlawful influencing or obstruction of voters at or near a voting station

The objection also has to be "material". The IEC says that means that if it were upheld, it would change the result at that voting station, in that ward or in that municipality (IEC). Long queues or a rude official, on their own, won't qualify unless they could have changed the outcome.

Where do you send it?

Source: IEC. The IEC warns not to use any other email address for section 65 objections.

What must your objection include?

According to the IEC, it must contain:

• a reference to the election and the section of the Act you're relying on
• your full name, physical address, phone number and email address
• your interest in the matter
• the name and contact details of the party agent who was at the affected voting station
• details of what happened, with detailed reasons
• what outcome you're asking for
• supporting documents

What if you miss the deadline?

The IEC may still consider a late objection, but only if it comes with an application for condonation explaining why it's late (IEC).

What happens after you object?

The IEC investigates every objection and then rejects, dismisses or upholds it (IEC).

When will final results be declared?

The IEC must declare final results and allocate council seats within seven days of the vote, once counting, capturing, verification and outstanding queries are done (TimesLIVE). Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the IEC hopes to announce final results by the weekend (eNCA). About 14.5 million people voted, including roughly 1.5 million special votes (eNCA).