About 76% of all registered voters took part in the 2009 South African General Elections. Notably, only 59% of eligible voters (South African’s of voting age) took part in the election, up from 56% in 2004.
That makes the NO! VOTE the majority vote, once again, with 41%.
The ANC received 65.90% of the 59% or 38.9% of all eligible voters, votes.
About 12 million people eligible to vote either did not register to vote, about 7 million, or did register but did not vote 5.4 million.
Some might attribute this to voter apathy and some may see it as part of a boycott of an unjust system. I suggest that people choosing not to vote because they deem no candidate worthy of the trouble is indeed a vote and a voice that needs counting.
Do you have a story or opinion to share, please make contact and I’ll see what I can do to get your opinion heard.