Youth urged to vote in 4 November LGE
IEC runs educational programmes to encourage young people to participate in elections.
Ahead of the upcoming 4 November Local Government Elections in South Africa, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) organized a mock voting station at the SABC to showcase the voting procedure. Participants were guided through the process, including queueing and casting their ballots, depending on their location.
Voters receive various ballot papers, such as ward ballots, proportional representation (PR) ballots, and district council ballots. For those in metropolitan municipalities, two ballot papers are provided, while others receive three, including a district council ballot.
The IEC's regional outreach officer, Diana Mola, emphasized the importance of encouraging young people to participate in the elections, starting from primary and secondary schools. According to the law, individuals must be at least 16 years old to register to vote. Mola also emphasized the possibility of young people standing for leadership positions and participating as candidates, as long as they are South African citizens and registered voters.
Recent data from the IEC shows that 42.1% of individuals aged between 18 and 35 are registered to vote, while approximately 22.65% of candidates contesting the elections fall within the same age group. SABC specialist researcher Velemseni Mthiyane urged the youth to exercise their democratic right and participate in the elections, emphasizing that their voices matter, even if tangible results are not immediately apparent.
Written by urgent.news from SABC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
