A little context goes a long way
Understanding the results
The essentials, one picture at a time.
More than half the seats makes an outright majority.Explain+
Majority or hung council?
One party holds more than half the council seats.
No party has a majority. Parties may work together in a coalition or support agreement.
The allocation is incomplete. Estimates can change as more results arrive.
Illustration: a 10-seat council needs 6 seats for a majority. Exactly half is not enough. Election results alone do not tell us who governs now.
Government guide to coalitions% measures votes. Seats are places on the council.Explain+
Vote share vs seats
40 out of every 100 valid votes on the ballot shown.
A representative who votes on council decisions.
Use the council seat total, not the percentage on a single ballot.
Ward wins and the proportional allocation determine the final seats. A party’s PR vote percentage alone is not its share of council seats.
IEC guide to council seatsWard: choose a person. PR: choose a party.Explain+
Ward vs PR ballots
The candidate with the most votes in the whole ward wins one seat. They do not need more than 50%.
PR means proportional representation. Party-list seats balance the council’s overall party representation.
Party ward votes and municipal PR votes both count towards the party’s overall seat allocation.
Outside metros, voters also have a separate district PR ballot. An independent can stand in a ward but not on a party PR list.
IEC guide to council seatsLocal councils and district councils share responsibilities. Metros combine both.Explain+
Local, district or metro?
Handles local services such as refuse collection and local roads, with responsibilities shared with the district.
Coordinates planning and shared services across its area, such as bulk water infrastructure. Functions vary by area.
Combines local and district responsibilities. There is no separate district council above it.
A district municipality is a level of local government. A voting district is a small voting area; it has no council of its own.
CoGTA guide to local governmentA district council serves several local municipalities together.Explain+
How a district council works
Voters choose a party on a separate district PR ballot.
Local councils elect representatives from their own councillors to serve on the district council.
Its work includes district-wide planning and shared services. Adding local council results together does not give the district council’s result.
IEC guide to council seatsOne ward elects one councillor to the municipal council.Explain+
What is a ward?
A part of a local or metro municipality. Its councillor represents residents on that council.
The ward candidate with the most votes wins, even with less than half the votes.
Winning a ward does not mean winning control of the whole council. The council also includes PR councillors.
IEC guide to council seatsA voting district is a small voting area inside a ward.Explain+
What is a voting district?
Voters are assigned to a voting station in this area. These results show only that part of the ward.
Results from all the ward’s voting districts decide its councillor.
A lead here is not a ward win. A voting district has no council and is different from a district municipality.
IEC guide to voting districtsReporting shows where results are in, not how many people voted.Explain+
Reporting vs turnout
Example: results have arrived from 8 of 10 voting districts.
Turnout measures the share of registered voters who voted. It cannot be read from reporting progress.
Voting districts differ in size, so 80% reporting does not mean 80% of votes counted. Reported results may still be corrected.
About Counted’s resultsLocal election votes added together. Each municipality elects its own council.Explain+
What do these totals show?
Ward and municipal PR ballots are added together to show party support across the area.
These totals do not elect Parliament or a provincial legislature, or establish a council majority.
Ballots are not individual voters: one person can cast more than one ballot. Council outcomes are based on seats in each municipality.
IEC guide to council seatsPercentage points show the change in vote share.Explain+
What does “pp” mean?
The party’s share rose by 5 points, not by 5% of its old vote total.
Check the ballot and election year. Boundary changes can mean different communities are being compared.
A change in vote share is different from gaining or losing council seats.
About comparisonsMap colours show vote leaders, not who controls a council.Explain+
How to read the map
A party can lead in votes without having a majority of council seats.
Explore municipalities and wards. Open council results to see the seat allocation.
Read the ballot label as you explore. Missing results or a tied lead do not identify a winning party.
Explore council outcomes