The documents required to vote on 4th November

We are now one week away from the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE) on 4th November.

For registered voters, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has shared a reminder of the identity documents that are required for voting, and perhaps more importantly, what will not be accepted at voting stations next week.

To that end, one of three documents are required for the LGE – either a smart ID card, a green barcoded ID book, or a valid temporary identity certificate.

As for the documents that will not be accepted, the DHA confirmed that driver’s licences, passports, student cards, and photocopies of ID documents are not accepted for voting purposes. The department is also urging registered voters who have not collected their IDs to do so as soon as possible.

“Citizens, who still need to replace a lost or damaged identity document ahead of the elections, are urged to make use of Home Affairs offices or the more than 450 participating bank branches to acquire their documents and not wait until the last minute,” the DHA shared in a statement this week.

“Home Affairs is further calling on citizens who already have their identity documents to encourage family members, friends and colleagues who do not yet have a Smart ID to apply now and collect their documents ahead of the elections,” it added.

The department also used this opportunity to highlight its digital transformation efforts of late, which has seen more than one million smart IDs issued to South African citizens as a result of partnerships with local banks that began in earnest earlier this year.

“Through Home Affairs @ home, we are making it easier than ever before for South Africans to replace the fraud-prone green barcoded ID book with the secure Smart ID Card. Together, we are closing the chapter on the fraud-prone green barcoded ID book and opening a new chapter of secure, digitalised identity services that deliver dignity for all,” said Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber.

He ended by noting that South Africans have access to more than 1 000 locations where they can apply for a Smart ID card, which represents nearly five times the number of access points that existed two years ago.

To check your voter registration status, head here.

Home Affairs digital transformation surpasses major milestone

[Image – Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash]

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