IEC launches 2026 election campaign to fight voter apathy, disinformation

Speaking at the IEC’s launch of its 2026 local government elections campaign at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng, IEC chief electoral officer, Sy Mamabolo, warned that declining voter participation, political instability and the spread of digital disinformation pose growing threats to democratic accountability ahead of the 4 November 2026 polls.

The launch brought together government ministers, political leaders, civil society organisations, election stakeholders and members of the media as the independent Electoral Commission (IEC) unveiled its national “Get Up, Show Up, Vote” mobilisation campaign, which is aimed at boosting voter registration and participation, particularly among young people.

Mamabolo said the country was entering a critical electoral cycle shaped by coalition politics, economic uncertainty and deepening public frustration over governance failures. “The democratic vitality of our country is dependent on each voter marking a ballot on 4 November,” he said.

Voter registration

Preparations for the elections are already well advanced. Mamabolo confirmed that nearly 24,000 registration stations across South Africa’s 4,488 wards would open during the national voter registration weekend on 20 and 21 June 2026. The Department of Home Affairs is expected to keep offices open nationwide to assist citizens requiring identity documents for registration.

The country’s voter roll currently stands at 27.9-million registered voters, surpassing registration levels recorded during the 2024 national and provincial elections. Mamabolo attributed much of the increase to the IEC’s online registration platform, which recorded approximately 376,000 new registrations between January and May.

The commission also announced plans to introduce a draft ‘code of conduct on misinformation and public comment’, aimed at regulating manipulated electoral content and protecting information integrity during the campaign period.

A resident of Khayelitsha casting his vote at a voting station in Nkanini informal settlement in 2024. File photo by Mzi Velapi

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Velenkosini Hlabisa used the platform to urge South Africans to stop expressing frustration from the sidelines and instead participate directly in local elections. “The time to complain must come to an end. It is time to act,” Hlabisa said. “Get up, show up, register and vote so that you choose councillors who you can hold accountable.”

Hlabisa said communities were increasingly frustrated by councillors who disappear after elections without delivering on promises. “People are sick and tired of empty promises,” he said. “They want councillors who will show up and deliver.”

The minister said the government deliberately announced the election date early to allow voters time to prepare, particularly citizens who divide their time between workplaces and family homes. He also encouraged South Africans not to wait for a second voter registration weekend later in the year.

Addressing concerns about misinformation and manipulated digital content ahead of the elections, Hlabisa cautioned voters against consuming information uncritically. “Do not believe everything you read or watch without applying your mind,” he said. “Check the source. Verify the information.”

Targeting declining youth participation

IEC chairperson, Mosotho Moepya warned that younger voters globally were increasingly withdrawing from democratic participation, often perceiving politics as distant or abstract. “Local democracy is the foundational school of citizenship,” Moepya said. “When citizens retreat into voter apathy or indifference, they create a dangerous deficit in local accountability.”

The IEC is expanding its youth-oriented voter campaign through schools, universities, digital platforms and entertainment media. Photo by Simon Ramapuputla

Moepya warned that false information and AI-generated material were increasingly capable of undermining trust in democratic institutions. “Targeted disinformation does not simply create confusion,” Moepya said. “It systematically erodes institutional legitimacy and public faith in democratic processes.”

He stressed that safeguarding democratic integrity could not rest solely with the IEC. “Defending the integrity of an election cannot be the sole burden of an electoral management body,” he said. Moepya called on political parties to avoid weaponising false information for short-term political advantage and urged the media to maintain rigorous fact-checking standards.

Lack of service delivery at the centre of poor voter turnout

Speaking to Elitsha, IEC communications general manager, Fikile Moya said reversing the decline in voter turnout requires broader societal intervention beyond the electoral body itself. “This is not only the work of the IEC. It is a societal project,” Moya said.

He said public dissatisfaction with service delivery and political leadership had become a major driver of voter disengagement. “When people choose not to vote, they are often commenting on the kind of services they receive from political parties,” he said.

Moya cited findings from a recent Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) study indicating that many South Africans withdrawing from electoral participation had pointed directly to governance failures and unmet expectations.

Lack of service delivery is said to be one of the reasons voters turn away from the polls. Photo by Mzi Velapi

The commission has intensified youth engagement through civic education programmes, school democracy initiatives and media campaigns.

Moya confirmed that all parties contesting the elections would be required to sign the IEC’s electoral code of conduct. “If a party wants to participate in the elections, it must sign the code and abide by its terms,” he said.