South Africans are set to make their mark on Wednesday when they go to the polls.

The Electoral Commission says while its work may appear to culminate in a single election day, preparations begin several years before the date is formally proclaimed by the president.

Here is the 2019 general election by numbers:

55% - female voters

45% - male voters

200,000  -  the number of temporary election officials recruited and trained to work over the election period

64 million - the total number of ballot papers printed for the 2019 elections

14,936 - the number of candidates standing for election

22,924 - the number of voting districts and voting stations

26,756,649 - the number of registered voters

48 - the number of parties contesting the national election

78 - the number of parties contesting the national and provincial elections

29,347 - the number of South African citizens who successfully applied to vote abroad in these elections

636,108 - the number of South Africans who successfully applied to cast special votes in SA

400 - the number of seats being contested in the National Assembly

430 - the total number of seats being contested in the provincial legislatures

Source: IEC