IEC faces ballot reprint headache after 52 million papers already printed

South Africa’s Electoral Commission faces an unexpected logistical challenge after the Constitutional Court ordered the inclusion of 181 previously excluded ANC candidates, with more than 52 million ballot papers already printed for the 4 November local government elections.

The IEC confirmed on Wednesday that production of the country’s 79 million ballot papers was more than 66% complete, with printing originally scheduled to finish by Sunday, 18 October.

The commission had begun production following the ballot paper draw on 23 September and certification of candidates two days later.

However, Thursday’s Constitutional Court ruling has changed the position in six municipalities where ANC candidate nominations had been excluded.

IEC deputy chief electoral officer for electoral matters Mashego Sheburi had warned that an adverse court ruling could force the commission to destroy and reprint affected ballot papers.

The commission subsequently confirmed that ballot papers affected by the judgment would be reprinted to accommodate the reinstated candidates.

The precise number requiring replacement and the additional cost have not yet been established in the reports reviewed. The fact that 66% of the national print run has been completed does not mean all those ballot papers will necessarily need replacement.

The development comes as the IEC enters the final stages of preparations for the elections.

In an official readiness update released on Wednesday, the commission confirmed that a record 2,655,067 special-vote applications had been approved, representing a 131% increase over the comparable 2021 election.

Of these, 678,525 applications were approved for home visits to voters unable to travel to polling stations because of physical infirmity or disability.

A further 1,976,542 applications were approved for voters who will cast special votes at voting stations because they cannot vote on election day.

The commission has also secured all 23,696 voting stations and distributed most non-security election materials to municipalities.

Special voting is scheduled for 2 and 3 November, ahead of the main election on Wednesday, 4 November.

The immediate challenge is to accommodate the Constitutional Court’s ruling without disrupting ballot production, distribution and the election timetable.

Sources: Electoral Commission of South Africa, official election readiness statement, 14 October 2026; The Citizen, 15 October 2026; Eyewitness News, 14 October 2026; IOL, 15 October 2026.