No-show voters have the power to make change

Voter apathy, or low turnout among eligible voters, is increasing at national and provincial levels
while decreasing at the local level.

The proportion of eligible voters choosing not to vote in national and provincial elections has
increased from 14% in 1994 to 41% in 2009. In other words, in 1994 some 86% of eligible
voters voted in the national and provincial election, but by 2009 that proportion had fallen to
under 60%.

The opposite is true for local elections. The first local election in South Africa’s new democracy,
in 1995, saw only 38% of eligible voters take part. In 2011 the proportion increased to 43%. This
represented a decrease in voter apathy from 63% in 1995 to 57% in 2011.

From these figures it's clear that if we all voted we could change the face of politics in South Africa. Encourage your friends and family to vote, because contrary to what many say YOUR VOTE DOES COUNT.

Sources: Independent Electoral Commission, Institute for Race Relations.