JOHANNESBURG — Election Day 2024 has come to an end in South Africa, with voting stations closing and the counting of votes underway. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) ensured that all citizens in line by the 9 p.m. cutoff were allowed to vote, addressing significant voter turnout in metropolitan areas with enhanced measures.

According to Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo, additional counting officers were summoned earlier than scheduled to help manage the queues more efficiently. Mamabolo detailed the counting process that follows the closure of voting stations. Each ballot is verified for the IEC’s security stamp, sorted by party or candidate, and then tallied in batches of 100. The results are then recorded on slips, which are signed by the presiding officer and agents from the parties and independent candidates to verify accuracy.

These results slips are transported to the local IEC office, where they are scanned and entered into the results system, followed by an audit. This procedure ensures transparency and security in the vote counting process, allowing political parties to monitor the proceedings at the Results Operations Centre. Mamabolo noted that the introduction of a third ballot paper might delay the results compared to previous elections.