Voter turnout ‘deciding factor’ in upcoming elections
Ipsos sub-Saharan Africa Knowledge Director Mari Harris on Thursday named voter turnout as one of the deciding factors during the county’s general elections.
A recent Ipsos survey found that only 62% of eligible voters are registered to vote in the 2024 national and provincial polls.
Speaking to Jacaranda News on Thursday, Harris said the poll asked the question, “If there were National [or Provincial] elections tomorrow, which political party would you vote for?
The poll shows the ANC possibly receiving less than 40% of the vote, while the DA and the EFF will battle it out to become the official opposition.
Harris said while the poll does not constitute an official prediction, it indicates that turnout is a very important factor in the election.
“Parties like IFP and ActionSA have definite geographical appeal. The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal and ActionSA in Gauteng, specifically in Johannesburg,” she explained.
“The proportion of the people who are eligible to vote has decreased in every election. In other words, people are less and less interested in voting because people are deeply dissatisfied with most political parties, and they also say that politicians are only doing this for themselves and do not care about them.
Harris said a low voter turnout scenario is likely to benefit the ANC.
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