Exploring the factors that contributed to voters low turnout in the 2021 Local Government Elections (LGE’s) among young people in Limpopo Province.

Abstract

Since the first Local Government Elections (LGEs) in post-apartheid South Africa, the voter turnout has been on the rise, from 47.33% in 2000 to 57.94% in 2016. However, in the 2021 LGEs, South Africa experienced the lowest voter turnout ever, with only 45.87%. Consequently, such a low turnout is a worrying norm, as most people do not exercise their democratic right to vote and participate in the political landscape. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to explore factors that contributed to the voter’s low turnout in the 2021 LGEs among young people in South Africa. The paper adopted a quantitative research design, and a simple random sample was employed to recruit the 101 participants. The article employed rational choice theory as a lens through which the findings were interpreted. Furthermore, the paper used questionnaires to collect data from the respondents. Additionally, the data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was chosen. The result of the study shows that during the 2021 elections that were held in South Africa, the youth were not willing to register and vote. Voting was found to be the lowest as compared to previous years since the country gained independence. Among the reasons why youth were reluctant to vote, the following were highlighted, personal commitments on the day of elections; not in the voting ward in which the participants have registered for voting; not realising the value of voting; not having the right candidate to vote for; feeling disappointed by the party; being concerned by the corruption in the municipalities; and feeling that even if they vote for their party, it will not win. The conclusion indicated that there is low motivation to vote among the youth in South Africa. The study recommends comprehensive political and civic education, especially among young people, who do not see any significance in participating in the elections.