LGE 2026: IEC prepares 8 million ballots for the Western Cape - EWN

The Western Cape is set to be hotly contested in the upcoming municipal polls, with 14,348 candidates competing for just 868 seats in municipalities across the province.   

106 political parties and 33 independent candidates would contest the local government elections in the province.   

On Friday candidates were issued with their certificates of compliance as political parties signed the electoral code of conduct.   

Provincial electoral officer Michael Hendrickse appealed to political parties to uphold the electoral code of conduct.   

"The contest will be intense amongst each other, and within that contest let’s respect one another," Hendrickse said.   

While voters in the metro will receive two ballots, one for a ward candidate and another for proportional representation, voters elsewhere in the province will receive a third ballot for the district council.   

446 different ballots will be produced for the Western Cape, with the order of appearance already determined at a national draw that put the Freedom Front Plus at the top.   

"We will also be having a two-column ballot because in the metro there will be 55 contesting parties. The longest ward ballot will have 46 contestants, and the shortest ward ballot will have 38 contestants," Hendrickse said.   

Hendrickse said the IEC planned to start printing around 8 million ballots for the Western Cape from Monday. 

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