With election day freshly announced and some taking it on simply as another public holiday, we thought we’d share the informed scoop on why voting (and not voting) matters a lot more than you might think!
South Africa (23 February 2024) — With the official Election Day finally announced (29 May and it’s a public holiday!), we thought we’d give you or anyone who doesn’t think their vote actually counts, a little reminder as to how much our votes matter.
Many South Africans and even expats have pleaded with their friends and family to vote. To show up. To not treat 29 May like any other public holiday. Heck, some people like Keith Boyd are even running across the continent to inspire more people to vote!
Election season usually reveals the hopefuls and the cynics in any democracy. For the cynics, we know what you’re thinking. There’s nothing ground-breaking about the phrase ‘your vote counts’. You’ve heard it a score of times. But, if we push the cynicism to the side just for a moment, you might just find there actually are a few noteworthy connotations to the phrase!
Now who is a Good News Journalist you’ve never met to tell you that you should vote? Well, for starters, I have a degree in Political Science (which means I committed many years to understanding what happens when people decide their vote doesn’t count), and I am a Good News journalist (which means my job is to cover how much change can happen when people make decisions beyond themselves).
With that being said, here’s the informed scoop on what not voting actually means, and why voting matters!
First, Why Does Voter Apathy Happen?
Not voting is a big problem South Africa continues to face across the board of municipal and national elections. Many people (especially the youth) choose not to vote because they do not believe tangible change is possible, do not agree with the political parties on the menu, or simply because they do not understand what voting means for our political system. But, not voting still has consequences.
Not Voting is Still a Kind of Vote
Not voting doesn’t mean not participating in the way you think. Because you are directly and indirectly part of the political process (whether you like it or not), you will always be impacted by the political decisions made. I.e., even if you don’t want to impact the system, the system will still impact you. So, not voting then, is its own kind of vote. A vote that allows others (those who are voting) to push decisions.
Few things skew democracy as much as voter apathy, but because the will of the people prevails in this kind of system, your decision not to vote still contributes to it.
When You Vote, You Start a Chain Reaction of Impact
South Africa is a representational democracy, which means the people are in charge of who represents us at different levels of authority. Because we have so many people, our system uses representatives to make decisions on our behalf. (Imagine if all of us had to sit casting ballots for every single decision!).
However, the representational democratic system doesn’t come without challenges when public participation is minimal. Whether you vote or don’t vote, you might think it is one simple decision. But actually, it’s a chain reaction of impact.
Voting can mean a bigger sense of accountability in relation to the government, which can make you a more active citizen. Now what if you inspire others to do the same with this energy? And what if the others you inspire, inspire others? See the chain reaction starting to form?
In the same way, your apathy can inspire more apathy. Which in turn can lead to an unrealistic reflection of who South Africans wish to serve us.
Your Vote Impacts More Than You
In the same way that not voting impacts more than just you! If you can’t think of your vote for yourself, think of it in terms of how it will impact your community and their futures. At least, their futures for the next few years. If enough people thought of voting this way, they drop in the ocean analogy starts to look a lot more hopeful.
If we look at history and what happens when groups of people do not have the right to vote, it becomes clearer why being a drop in an endless ocean actually adds up. Because participating isn’t just for the drop; it’s an act to be part of the ocean.
If You’re Confused About The Upcoming Elections
For national and provincial levels, South Africa has a Proportional Representation electoral system, which essentially means the public vote for the party, not the president directly. The parties with the most votes get divided up into seats to make up parliament as a reflection of the voting percentages and (theoretically) the will of the people. Which means voting for a political party matters significantly, as we are not directly making many big decisions ourselves!
The upcoming elections are the General National and Provincial Elections; which means you will be casting a vote that impacts both the country at large and your province. And if you believe that South Afri-CAN, we’ll see you on voting day!
Sources: GTG
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