May 29 2024.
That’s the date SA will go to the polls in one of the most important elections of our democratic era. The bad news is that too many South Africans are choosing not to vote.
In the last national and provincial elections in 2019, 26.7-million people were registered to vote and only 17-million votes were cast, with the biggest party –the ANC – winning about 10-million of those.
SA has experienced a noticeable decline in voter turnout since 2009. This is not unique to SA. It is a global phenomenon that demonstrates how people are increasingly disengaging from electoral processes, arguably at a time when global politics need citizen engagement the most.
In our context, there are usually a number of reasons for voter abstinence. Some are individual practical limitations such as work or a change of personal circumstances. Others are about the quality of opposition parties which, for many, does not inspire confidence as credible alternatives to the ANC.
The most concerning reason is that people choose to not go to the polls because of disillusionment, not only at the performance of the incumbent political party, but the systems of democracy as a whole.
While this is to be understood, apathy is a flawed form of protestation. The numbers tell us that the outcome of the election is as influenced by those who turn out to vote as it is by those who do not.
The belief that an individual’s vote will not change the electoral outcomes is misguided. In the last election, close to 40% of registered voters did not show up, effectively shaping the result in one form or another.
At least 27 million people are registered to vote in this years election, a slight uptick from the previous election cycle. With three months to go to the polls, it is vital that an increased voter turnout becomes the central message driven and understood by all.
Too many of us complain, and rightfully so, about corruption, ineptitude and disappointment about service levels at different tiers of government. But the failure of a government to meet its obligations can never justify disengagement from the very democratic processes designed to help us exercise choice.
SOWETAN | Your vote counts, vote in elections
Image: ALAISTER RUSSELL/ SUNDAY TIMES
May 29 2024.
That’s the date SA will go to the polls in one of the most important elections of our democratic era. The bad news is that too many South Africans are choosing not to vote.
In the last national and provincial elections in 2019, 26.7-million people were registered to vote and only 17-million votes were cast, with the biggest party –the ANC – winning about 10-million of those.
SA has experienced a noticeable decline in voter turnout since 2009. This is not unique to SA. It is a global phenomenon that demonstrates how people are increasingly disengaging from electoral processes, arguably at a time when global politics need citizen engagement the most.
In our context, there are usually a number of reasons for voter abstinence. Some are individual practical limitations such as work or a change of personal circumstances. Others are about the quality of opposition parties which, for many, does not inspire confidence as credible alternatives to the ANC.
The most concerning reason is that people choose to not go to the polls because of disillusionment, not only at the performance of the incumbent political party, but the systems of democracy as a whole.
While this is to be understood, apathy is a flawed form of protestation. The numbers tell us that the outcome of the election is as influenced by those who turn out to vote as it is by those who do not.
The belief that an individual’s vote will not change the electoral outcomes is misguided. In the last election, close to 40% of registered voters did not show up, effectively shaping the result in one form or another.
At least 27 million people are registered to vote in this years election, a slight uptick from the previous election cycle. With three months to go to the polls, it is vital that an increased voter turnout becomes the central message driven and understood by all.
Too many of us complain, and rightfully so, about corruption, ineptitude and disappointment about service levels at different tiers of government. But the failure of a government to meet its obligations can never justify disengagement from the very democratic processes designed to help us exercise choice.
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