IEC notes spike in number of young people on voters' roll
The commission gave an update in Pretoria earlier on Tuesday on its final voter registration campaign held over the past weekend.
FILE: A voting station sign during voter registration. Picture: Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The Independent Electoral Commission ofSouth Africa (IEC) has noted an increase in the representation of young people on the voters' roll compared to previous elections.
The commission gave an update in Pretoria earlier on Tuesday, to shed light on its final voter registration campaign held over the past weekend.
A total of 27,4 million South Africans are registered to vote for the upcoming national elections with over 400,000 first-time voters registered over the weekend.
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The IEC said 48% of young people between the ages of 20 and 29 have registered to vote for this year's election, indicating an improvement in the interest of young voters to participate in the polls.
The commission added that 77% of first-time voters who registered over the weekend are of this age group.
Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo welcomed the improvement.
"There's been an important reversal of the historic underrepresentation of young persons," he said.
Mabalolo said the youth also make up the highest number of people who utilise the online portal to register or update their details.