The road to SA’s 2024 national and provincial elections is in full swing. People would be hard pressed to find an election post-1994 that has had so much interest among parties and voters up to two years before the vote. From the establishment of new parties, to talks of coalitions, SA is abuzz with talk of an election that could fundamentally change SA democracy and the political landscape.

On the other side of the world, another country knows all about the buildup to historic elections. In 2020, the US voted to unseat an incumbent first-term president, Donald Trump, when they elected Joe Biden – a feat only achieved once before in their modern democratic era. While many factors contributed to this change in government, one that stood out particularly in the south of the US was higher voter turnout...