04/06/2021
The below article was written in the USA but applies equally to our young adults in SA. If you have young adults in your family who are not registered to vote, please encourage them to go and register in July. It is their future - they need to step up and make their voices heard.
For a lot of people, voting is a serious civic duty. They show up to the polls on election day, they know exactly who and what they’re voting for, and they leave the polling place with a sense of pride.
But for many others, voting can be viewed as too much of a hassle, too much pressure, or a useless endeavor. There are a lot of reasons why people don’t vote, but we believe it’s important to ensure everyone’s voices are heard on election day.
So we put together a short list of reasons why your vote really does matter—and a little bit of insight into why.
Your vote makes a difference.
It might feel like your vote won’t matter, but it will make a difference, especially in local and state elections. It’s easy to get lost in the big numbers shown on the news but there are plenty of cases where a small number of votes have decided elections.
The winner of the election will represent you anyway.
Voting for a representative is a preference. It’s rare to agree with a candidate on every issue, but it’s important to make sure they know what issues you care about. There’s usually one candidate who represents your interests better than the others.
When you choose not to vote, you’re letting others decide who gets to make and enforce laws as your representative. There’s usually going to be one person on the ballot who’s a better fit than the others and you should play an active role in deciding who that is.
Elections affect your life every day.
You may not realize it, but your life is affected by government, laws, and elected representatives every day. We think that Common Cause put it best when they said:
“There is not a single aspect of daily life that isn’t affected by your government. The roads you drive on, the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the schools that teach your children, and the parks you visit — are all a function of government.”
There are people making decisions that affect your life and you have the power to choose who’s making these decisions on your behalf. They must answer to you, not the other way around.
People fought for the right to vote for a reason.
We get it. Life is complicated and it’s a struggle to fit it all into your schedule. But voting is one of the few chances you can have a direct impact on your community.
Voting is an important and valuable civic right. There’s never been a better time to make sure your voice is heard.
Who can register?
You must:
be a South African citizen;
be at least 16 years old (you can only vote from age 18); and
and have a green, bar-coded ID book; smartcard ID; or valid Temporary Identity Certificate (TIC).
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will host a national voter registration weekend on 17 and 18 July, ahead of the 2021 Local Government Elections in October.
Over this weekend all 23,146 voting stations around the country will open from 08h00 to 17h00 to assist new voters to register. Existing voters can also use the time check and, where necessary, update their registration details, the IEC said.
The commission said it will also embark on a nationwide voter education and awareness campaign to encourage all eligible voters to participate in the elections scheduled to be held on 27 October 2021.
“The 17 and 18 July registration weekend is the only general voter registration opportunity for voters to register and check their registration at their voting stations. However, on-going voter registration will continue during working hours at local IEC offices until the proclamation of the elections,” it said.
