{
  "id": 17836182,
  "title": "More than 700,000 votes cast on first day of special voting: IEC",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/more-than-700-000-votes-cast-on-first-day-of-special-voting-iec",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T18:00:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/more-700-000-votes-cast-on-first-day-of-special-voting-iec/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The IEC has announced that over 700,000 votes were cast during the first day of special voting for the 2026 local government elections. Despite initial delays at certain voting stations in Cape Town due to late distribution of ballot papers, the affected stations were granted additional voting time and remained operational until 6pm. IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo confirmed that the day's proceedings provided a solid foundation for improved performance on the following days and estimated a participation rate of 780,000 special votes administered.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}