Lotus FM | IEC LGE 2026 Voter Education

Who switches the lights back on when there's a fault? Who's meant to fix the road outside your house? That's your municipality's job, and local government elections decide who runs it. This episode is about how local and municipal elections actually work, and why the result shows up in your life faster than any national vote does. Your vote buys you a say in who answers for water, electricity, and infrastructure in your own area. The ballot papers look different too, depending on whether you live in a local municipality or a metro. There are two routes onto your council: ward councillors and proportional representation councillors, with independents running in the ward system too. We also cover the legal bar a citizen has to clear to stand for their own community, and how the IEC keeps the count transparent. A joint production from SABC Education and the Electoral Commission (IEC), made so you walk into the voting station knowing what you're choosing and why. Wake up and go out to vote!

If you're not on the voters' roll, you can't vote. This episode, produced by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in partnership with SABC Education, covers what registration actually requires: who's eligible, which identification the Department of Home Affairs accepts, the green barcoded book, the smart ID card, or a valid temporary identity certificate, and how to get registered, in person or online. Registration is the first gate. Everything else about election day depends on clearing it. Changed address recently? Update your registration, or you could end up at the wrong polling station on election day. Boundaries shift too, and an old registration can put you in the wrong voting district without you knowing it. We also cover how to check your registration status by SMS or on the official website, plus what's coming with the next round of registration weekends. Catch this episode, and the rest of the series, on SABC+ or the official website.