Election Day – the 3 ballot system

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Today marks a new chapter in how general elections are contested in democratic South Africa, as the amended Electoral Act makes provision for three ballot papers.

Independent candidates will for the first time also exercise their right to participate in the National and Provincial Elections.

This follows a successful Constitutional Court challenge that the New Nation Movement brought in June 2020. In its judgment, the court ordered Parliament to amend the Act.

The contestation for the 2024 general elections comes with various changes. The first one relates to the 400 seats in the National Assembly which has now been split and contested for on two ballot papers.

These are the National Compensatory and Regional Ballots.

The first 200 hundred seats are contested for by political parties only through the National Compensatory Ballot. The second one allows both Independent candidates and political parties to contest for the remaining 200 seats in the Assembly, through the Regional Ballot.

There is also the Provincial Ballot that allows Independents and political parties to run for seats in provincial legislatures.

The Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and the North West are the only three provinces that do not have Independents participating in the elections.

Elections 360 Daily | The 3 ballot system