Unemployed? IEC is hiring more than 600 people for local elections
· Citizen
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has announced 610 vacancies across the country ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections.
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The IEC is an independent constitutional body responsible for managing free and fair elections at national, provincial, and local government level.
Ahead of every election, the commission recruits South Africans on temporary contracts to assist with the voting process.
These temporary positions, which include voting officers, presiding officers, queue walkers, logistics staff and administrative personnel, typically last for the duration of the election period and related training.
While they do not provide permanent employment, they offer unemployed South Africans an opportunity to earn an income, gain work experience and develop administrative and customer service skills.
Eligible candidates for IEC posts
People who can apply for the positions must:
- Be a South African citizen.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have a valid South African ID.
- Be able to read and write English and the local language of the voting district.
- Have no political party affiliation that would compromise impartiality.
- Must be registered to vote
Some positions require a tertiary qualification, while others may consider applicants without one, depending on the role and municipality.
How to apply for IEC positions
To apply for positions, eligible applicants must:
- Visit IEC Careers Portal to view available vacancies
- Create a candidate profile
- Submit an application online
According to the IEC website, eligible candidates have until 31 August 2026 to apply for the positions, with KwaZulu-Natal having the most vacancies (117) followed by Gauteng with 94.
IEC has over 600 vacancies across the country and invites qualified individuals to explore current career opportunities available. Picture: SuppliedThe Electoral Commission said, “Due to the high number of applications for election positions, the Electoral Commission only corresponds with shortlisted candidates. If you haven’t heard from us within three months of applying, please consider your application unsuccessful.”
Preference to the unemployed
IEC noted that it will give preference to unemployed people.
“We always employ 90% non-government officials of our 200 000 voting station staff. We have opened an e-recruitment platform on our website for anyone to apply for a voting station where they are registered to vote, and generally give preference to unemployed youth from the community in question.”
Some of the questions included when applying are:
- Do you have a valid Driver’s Licence?
- Do you have access to a car that can be used for work purposes?
- Do you reside within the municipality in which the application is made?
- Have you ever been convicted of a serious criminal offence?
Final voter registration weekend
The Electoral Commission will on Wednesday give an update of its state of readiness for the second and final national voter registration weekend scheduled for 1-2 August 2026.
According to the Commission, the final voter registration weekend builds on the success of the first registration weekend, during which the Commission processed about 2.9 million voter registration transactions.
The Commission further urged eligible voters to register or update their voter registration details online, reminding the public that its Online Voter Registration Portal is zero-rated across major mobile networks.
Zero-rating means users can access the registration portal without paying for mobile data, making it possible to register to vote or update registration details even when they have no available data.
Local Government Elections will be held on 4 November 2026.