In precisely 26 days, South Africans will head to the polls, and for the first time, voters will receive three ballot papers. This is thanks to last year’s Electoral Amendment Bill, which allows independent candidates to contest the election, among other things.

Three? I hardly understand the two, we hear you say. Well, don’t be afraid, as we’re here to explain (haha) how these will work. 

🗳️ National Compensatory Ballot:

This ballot will be the same for all South Africans. It’s straightforward and easy to understand. It features only political parties contesting for half of the seats in the 400-seater national assembly, aka Parliament. You’ll see the name of the party next to the face of the party leader (yes, Cyril and John will be smiling at us), the abbreviation of the party name, the logo of the party and the box in which to make your mark. Remember, you only need to make one mark (X) per ballot paper.

🗳️ National Regional Ballot

The remaining 200 seats in parliament are made up of “regional” or provincial representatives, which is where this new ballot comes in. For example, if you vote in Johannesburg, you will receive a “Gauteng regional ballot” – this is a vote for an independent OR party to fill the regional seats reserved in Parliament for Gauteng. Previously only political parties contested for these seats, but now independents will be in the mix, too. Political parties will be represented as mentioned above, but independent candidates will have their names, photos, and the word “independent,” plus that all-important box to put your X in. 

Here’s the thing: the exact mix of national vs regional ballots when it comes to the final makeup of the 400 seats will depend on a formula that is applied by the IEC. It’s a lot of maths. For you as the voter, the thing to understand is how you vote regionally will also have a say on how the national assembly is made up. Yay, hybrid system! (Download this PDF from the IEC website if you like maths.)

🗳️ Provincial Legislature Ballot 

The May 29 elections actually feature 10 elections: One to elect leaders to parliament, which the above two ballots cover, and one for each of SA’s nine provinces. This follows a similar process to the national: electing people to the provincial legislature, who will elect your premiers, MECs and so on. This third ballot you receive, which may be called, for example, “A Gauteng provincial ballot”, will be specific to your province’s leadership and will contain candidates from various political parties AS WELL as independent candidates running for seats in the provincial legislature. The ballot will display the faces of the political parties’ leaders and independent candidates, their respective party abbreviations, logos, and a designated space for you to mark your choice with an ‘x’. 

We know three ballot papers might seem intimidating. Still, it speaks to the ever-evolving nature of our politics: More players in the game mean more marginalised voices can be represented. 💪

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