{
  "id": 17760219,
  "title": "IEC urges voters to check if special vote applications is approved",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/iec-urges-voters-to-check-if-special-vote-applications-is-approved",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T06:38:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/iec-urges-voters-to-check-if-special-vote-applications-is-approved/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Electoral Commission (IEC) is urging South African voters to verify if their special vote applications have been approved. Special voting commences on Monday and continues on Tuesday. In KwaZulu-Natal, Provincial Electoral Officer Ntombfuthi Masinga explained that only those whose applications have been approved will be permitted to cast their special votes at polling stations or via home visits, between 8am and 5pm.\n\nMasinga also reminded voters that campaigning is strictly prohibited within the boundaries of voting stations. Furthermore, she emphasized the importance of keeping ballot casting secret. She clarified, \"We do not allow you to take a picture of the ballot paper once you have voted at the voting station. If you try and do that, the election official will stop you and you will be asked to delete that photograph. If you resist, we will have the members of the SAPS on site to persuade you still to delete that photo, otherwise you will be arrested as it is an electoral offence.\"",
  "summary": "Over two million voters have registered to cast special ballots in the Local Government Elections.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "2.6 million special voters: IEC ready as two-day voting kicks off",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/2-6-million-special-voters-iec-ready-as-two-day-voting-kicks-off",
        "published": "2026-11-02T05:10:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}