#Elections2019: Register and vote to show that SA is a thriving democracy

A police officer stands outside a polling booth in Vuwani in Limpopo. File picture: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

A police officer stands outside a polling booth in Vuwani in Limpopo. File picture: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

Published Jan 16, 2019

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It is the year in which we celebrate the 25th anniversary of our first democratic elections of 1994 which has become immortalised as our national Freedom Day. Those particular elections signalled the beginning of our continuing journey to realise the values, rights and provisions of our Constitution.

Looking back over the past 25 years, we see a country which, while grappling with social, economic and political challenges, remains firmly rooted in constitutional democracy. We see a country that has successfully held five national, provincial, and municipal elections as well as hundreds of by-elections.

We see a country whose electoral democracy remains among the highest quality in the world and whose elections have been conducted in line with the Constitution and electoral laws.

We are privy to a country that is proud to have upheld the highest standards of best international electoral practice in full conformity with the norms and standards set by the UN, AU, Southern African Development Community and other world election bodies.

We have witnessed a South Africa whose voters continue to register and participate in high numbers despite this not being a compulsory requirement. We see a nation whose multiparty democracy continues to grow steadily as reflected by continuous growth in the number of registered political parties and candidates contesting each successive election.

Furthermore, it has been proven that this country’s constitutional and public institutions such as the judiciary, the Reserve Bank and fellow Chapter Nine institutions, to name just a few, remain independent, impartial and effective. While as a country we faced a fair amount of challenges, and continue to do so, the story of the past 25 years, however, is that South Africa remains on track in its democratic path.

An election is more than just a technical act of marking a ballot. It is a national enterprise of refreshing, through the election of public representatives and the edifice of governance in the republic. In a sense, elections are about giving effect to a constitutional value system. When citizens vote they are engaging in an act of constitutionalism and are reaffirming our status as a vibrant constitutional society.

The Electoral Commission of SA has spent the past two years preparing for this year’s elections. Among the key preparations completed includes updating and amending electoral legislation to enhance the elections, training staff to conduct registration and later the voting and counting with integrity and professionalism, introducing a range of system and process enhancements, and updating the voters’ roll with new registrations and address details. But these preparations are only one critical part in delivering free, fair and credible elections.

Other critical success factors include: the prevalence of conditions conducive to free, fair and credible elections. This extends to a climate of political campaigning free from fear, intimidation and violence and which supports tolerance, mutual respect and the rights of others.

The commission appeals that each and every party, candidate, supporter, representative and voter do everything in their power to constantly foster and maintain an environment which supports free, fair and credible elections.

Second, the preparations have been to ensure that the voters’ roll is up-to-date and accurate. The voters’ roll is the foundation for the integrity and credibility of the elections. We will leave no stone unturned in seeking to maintain a voters’ roll of the highest quality. This includes, among other on-going initiatives, collecting addresses for voters at the upcoming registration weekend scheduled for January 26-27 and on voting day itself.

Our work over the past 24 months has been also to cement the integrity of the electoral process, meaning, South Africa has one of the most transparent and inclusive electoral processes in the world and political parties through the role of party agents play a vital part in providing credibility to the process.

The voting and counting process is a partnership between the commission, political parties and civil society through observers. We want to work closely with political parties to ensure that party agents receive the necessary high-quality training so that they can perform their part of the process effectively.

We have also ensured the quality, professionalism and integrity of the election staff is non-negotiable. South Africa relies on volunteers to run the elections and a key focus of our preparations are on ensuring we find the right people with the right values and skills for this critical task. And providing them with adequate training and expertise to oversee the conduct of registration, voting and counting.

While our recruitment continues to favour the youth, unemployed and women, the commission also continues to strive to strike a balance between a desire to provide a learning and growth opportunity for young, unemployed people and the need for an experienced, knowledgeable and mature person to oversee the vital voting and counting operations at each station and to help manage and deal with any objections and critical logistic issues which may arise.

Another key thought during our preparation process was to ensure there is optimal participation. This is a critical success factor in the elections. The greater the number of people who participate in the polls, the greater the legitimacy of the elections results.

This is why we place so much emphasis on voter education and encouraging young people to register and participate. South Africa continues to enjoy average voter registration levels of 75% which is enviable among countries of the world with voluntary voting systems.

However, voters under the age of 30 remain under-represented on the voters’ roll as up to date, the registration for voters aged 18-19 is currently about while 16% while that of voters between 20-29 stands at 56%.

The Electoral Commission once again stands ready to deliver free, fair and credible elections. But we need the support, partnership and collaboration of each and every South African in this endeavour. These are our elections and together let us once again show the world that we are a thriving, vibrant and peaceful democracy.

Register and vote Xsê!

* Mashinini is chairperson of the Electoral Commission. This is an edited version of his speech at the launch of the national and provincial elections 2019.

** For more opinion go to voices360.co za

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