Why Most Youth Did Not Vote in the 2014 Election and How We Can Change That for 2019

Disillusioned and Disinterested
According to the IEC 2014 National Election Report, only a staggering 39% of youth between the ages of 20 and 29 years old (out of about just over 10 million people of this age group) actually voted in the 2014 national elections! The IEC Voter Population Survey conducted nationally in 2013 found that 71% of South Africans that were not intending to vote said their main reason for not intending to vote in the 2014 election was “disinterest and disillusionment”. The next main reason given by 49% was “not interested/don’t care about politics”, followed by 8% who said “my vote would not make a difference”. Actually, as most people eligible to vote either do not register to vote, or do not turn up to vote, if they registered and voted they could make a big difference!

You Can Make a Difference
These statistics may seem discouraging, yet there are many ways you can change these results for the 2019 elections. In 2019, South Africans who have registered to vote will have the responsibility of electing a party to represent their interests in Parliament and in their Provincial legislature. How you exercise this right and responsibility of voting will have far reaching consequences for almost every area of your life. What can be done to inspire Christian youth to register to vote, then actually vote on Election Day and to be salt and light in the political arena?

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