ELECTION NEWS - The 2019 elections are around the corner, but a large number of South Africans did not register to vote and therefore cannot vote on 8 May.
The SA Citizen Surveys (Sacs), a monthly tracking study on current events in SA, earlier this year focused on data collated from face-to-face interviews around the public perception of the 2019 elections.
Here are some of the findings:
1. At least 11.2-million South Africans will not vote this year, and of these, the majority are youth between 19 and 34 years of age. "When looking at those unregistered voters accounting for 11.2-million South Africans, in more detail, 40% or 4.5-million of them said they do not intend to register to vote. A significant proportion of these are young South Africans, with about a third aged between 18 and 24 years, and a third aged between 25 and 34 years," said Sacs.
Apathy on the rise
2. Apathy is on the rise, especially among lower-income groups and youth groups. The study showed the highest proportion of 4.5-million are from the lower-income groups (63%) with 48% from major metropolitan areas. In Gauteng, 30% of people did not intend to register citing voting challenges such as providing proof of address, getting time off work, or getting to the registration venue.
3. Sacs developed a voter-readiness model which puts voters into four categories: ready, likely, challenged, and unmotivated potential voters. Of these, the voters who are motivated to vote, registered, and who can overcome voting-day challenges, made up 39% or 14.5-million adults. Likely voters made up 9% or 3.2-million adults, while challenged voters sat at 24% or 9-million adults. Challenged voters regardless of registration status made up 28% or 10.5-million adults.
Silver lining
4. The silver lining was that trust in the IEC has grown over the last quarter from 48% between July and September 2018 to 59% between October and December which, said Sacs, could be attributed to SA moving into election season and hence a greater awareness of the IEC's role.
5. The IEC reported that there were just over 26-million registered voters, an increase from the 25.4-million registered voters in the 2014 elections. Of the registered voters in 2014, only 18.6-million cast their ballots.
A number of 18-year-olds in Knysna shared their views on voting in the upcoming elections with Nwabisa Pondoyi, and this is what they had to say:
Abongile Bambiso: "I am voting for the first time. I feel it is my duty as a young South African to fulfil the right that has been given to me. It's quite exciting that I'm given the chance my predecessors didn't have, the right to voice my opinion through an X. The political party that wins should try and eradicate corruption and empower the youth of the country."
Sandanathi Mendrew: "I won't be voting because I didn't register to vote. I don't feel like I'm losing out on anything. I've never been excited about voting. I've been told on many occassions that my vote might be the one that determines a win or a loss, but to me, I'm just another cross on a piece of paper. I hope these elections are smooth and fair throughout."
Inge-Maré' Franchesca Talmaggies: "I will vote for the first time. I feel excited because I finally have a say in our country being changed and my expectations are that we will have fair elections." Photos: Supplied
Kyle Desmods Groome: "I turned 18 this year and have registered to vote and will be doing so in Knysna. I hope to see change and how our town and country develop."
'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'
