ELECTORAL COMMISSION
SA’S YOUTH VOTE MATTERS
Ahead of the 2024 general elections, and following the low voter turnout in the 2021 municipal elections, the Electoral Commission has prioritised democracy education for the youth of South Africa. It is midway through its expanded democracy education programme, aimed not just at school learners, but also the youth at tertiary educational institutions, and those outside of formal educational and workplace structures.
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n South Africa, the youth played a historically important role in achieving electoral democracy. They were active citizens and made an immense contribution towards the liberation of this country. Many of them even lost their lives in the pursuit of freedom and the democracy that we all enjoy today. However, young people in the post-apartheid era form part of the phenomenon of electoral abstention, which is becoming prevalent in many countries the world over. For example, voter turnout during the 2021
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Municipal Focus
municipal elections was a mere 46%, which was the lowest in the history of democratic South Africa. During the 2021 municipal elections, nearly 1,8 million eligible 18-19 year-olds did not register to vote. This translates into 1,8 million lost potential votes in these elections, because one cannot vote if one is not registered to vote, and consequently not on the voter's roll. On another front, statistics report that those within the age group of 15-34 years constitute more than a third (about 35%) of the estimated population of about 60 million people
in South Africa. Interestingly, during the same 2021 municipal elections, out of the 175 206 voters on the roll, 18-19 year-olds registered to vote, a total of 124 905 of them actually voted, translating into 71% voter turnout amongst this age group. This was far above the national average voter turnout of 46%. Therefore, it is evident that, once registered, young voters do participate. It was against this background that the Electoral Commission launched a voter education and registration campaign within the education sector.
