THE ballot for the 8 May elections has been designed so that the parties are easily identified.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa clarified the process to determine the order of political parties on the national and provincial ballot papers for the 2019 National and Provincial Elections.
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The Electoral Act empowers the Commission to determine the design of the ballot paper to be used in an election. The main consideration of the Commission is to enable easy identification of the party of choice by the voter to minimise risks of miscast ballots according to an IEC press release.
Traditionally, the Electoral Commission has used a random draw to determine the first party on the ballot paper with all parties then following in alphabetical order.
However, in preparation for the upcoming elections, the Electoral Commission appointed the Human Sciences Research Council to do research to investigate key aspects of the usability of the ballot paper and improve the design.
The result of the research proposed some changes to improve the legibility of the ballot paper and to accentuate distinguishing features between and among political parties on the ballot.
These have been incorporated into the ballot paper design for 2019 National and Provincial Elections – including a re-ordering of the sequence of party identifiers on the ballot paper as follows:
- Full party name
- Party leader photograph
- Abbreviation
- Party logo
The research also established there was potential for confusion among voters as a result of some party identifiers that use similar colours, abbreviations and logos. A specific recommendation was that parties that may cause confusion to the voter ought to be separated on the ballot paper.
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These findings and the proposed solution were shared and discussed with all parties in the National Party Liaison Committee. The proposed solution was to retain the random draw for the first party on the ballot paper and thereafter follow the alphabetical order of parties as determined by the party at the top of the ballot.
Another random draw would be done to help separate parties which may cause confusion to the voter.
All parties represented at the NPLC endorsed and supported the proposals according to the Electoral Commission.
FORTY-eight political parties are expected to contest the national elections on May 8, 19 more than in the 2014 general elections.
The list of 48 parties:
African Security Congress
African Alliance of Social Democrats
African Christian Democratic Party
African Congress of Democrats
African Content Movement
African Covenant
African Democratic Change
African Independent Congress
African National Congress
African Renaissance Unity Party
African Transformation Movement
Agang South Africa
Al Jama-ah
Alliance for Transformation for All
Azanian People’s Organisation
African People’s Convention
Better Residents Association
Black First Land First
Capitalist Party of South Africa
Christian Political Movement
Compatriots of South Africa
Congress of the People
Democratic Alliance
Democratic Liberal Congress
Economic Emancipation forum
Economic Freedom Fighters
Forum for Service Delivery
Free Democrats
Front National
GOOD
Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa
Inkatha Freedom Party
International Revelation Congress
Land Party
Minority Front
National Freedom Party
National People’s Ambassadors
National People’s Front
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
Patriotic Alliance
People’s Revolutionary Movement
Power of Africans Unity
Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party
South African Maintenance and Estate Beneficiaries Association
South African National Congress of Traditional Authorities
United Democratic Movement
Vryheid Front+
Women Forward
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