10 Reason Why Most South African Youth Don’t Vote
10 Reason Why Most South African Youth Don’t Vote. South African municipal elections will be held on 1 November 2021. At this point we could be seeing this trending on social media, but sadly that is not the case. Most young people in South Africa are not really interested in politics, and some don’t even turn up at the voting polls. Obviously this isn’t a new challenge, it has been going on for years. What could be the reason?
1. Lack of Knowledge
Whenever young people are surveyed, there is a significant lack of knowledge about how exactly the government works, and, therefore, how their vote actually matters. Having information about how, when and where to vote can help young people be and feel prepared to vote as well as reduce any level of intimidation they may feel.
2. Lack of Trust in The System
Corruptions and lies are quite synonymous with politics. Young people are still unemployed, their voices are not heard, and they go through a lot. Sadly leaders don’t do much to address such issues, hence it makes the youth not have trust in the system none whatsoever.
3. They are Not Encouraged to Vote
Young people who are contacted by an organization or a campaign are more likely to vote. If young people don’t vote, they’re less likely to be targeted by political campaigns. Leaving young voters off contact lists is a costly mistake. Some campaigns still bypass young voters, but, young people who discuss an election are more likely to vote in it.
4. The Whole Family Isn’t About Politics
A young person’s home environment can have a large impact on their engagement. Youth who live in a place where members of their household are engaged and vote are more likely to do so themselves. It can become a family tradition not to vote.
5. They Feel Like Voting Won’t Make a Difference
A majority of young people don’t think voting is an effective way to change society. They also don’t think their vote matters, and think the system is corrupt. So they will rather do something else on election day than go que to cast a vote.
6. Dissatisfied with Options
Sometimes the standing candidates are not appealing enough for young people. They feel that they are not spoiled for choice when it comes to who they should vote for as their leader. Unlike old people, who will vote regardless, the youth will rather not vote.
7. No Interest in Politics
Politics feel like it’s old people’s business. Some young people don’t find politicians relatable as most of them are old, and don’t really care about their issues. Also a lot of young people want to make the world a better place, but they don’t necessarily see politics as the way to do it.
8. A Busy Lifestyle
One can be too busy on Election Day, since it’s normally a public holiday. They can’t afford to spend time in long line. There might be issues of lack of transportation; inconvenient hours or location of polling place; trouble locating their polling place; registration problems; lacking proper ID; or being out of town.
9. Religion
Some young people have taken the stance not to vote because it goes against what they believe. Those who are deep into religions like Christianity feel they have no business in politics. This is because they feel only God can be the answer to their problems, or they simply don’t want to be part of the corruption associated with politics.
10. They Just Don’t Want to
Some young people just don’t want to go vote, and their decisions should be respected.
