Final voter registration weekend statistics encouraging

The final voter registration weekend has come and gone and President Jacob Zuma has announced, although not proclaimed, 7 May as the election date.

A record 25,3 million South Africans are now registered and ready to vote in the national and provincial elections following a highly successful final registration weekend that saw 1 259 560 new voters registering

The new registrations lifted the overall registration level from 76,9 per cent prior to the weekend to 80,5 per cent of all eligible voters today.

Combined with the 1,1 million new voters who registered for the first time in November, some 2,3 million new voters will have been added to the voters’ roll for the first time since 8 November 2013. This is about 17 per cent higher than the target of two million the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had set.

Encouragingly, 79,89 per cent of all new registrations this weekend – or 1 006 260 – are voters under the age of 30. This included:

• 691 002 voters aged 20 to 29

• 255 398 voters aged 18 and 19

• 59 860 voters aged 16 and 17

Along with new registrations, a further 1,48 million registered voters also used the opportunity this past weekend to change their voting station. And 183 377 people re-registered at the same voting station.

In total, just short of three million people visited the 22 263 voting stations on the weekend of 8 and 9 February, which is 16 per cent higher than the 2,5 million who visited voting stations in November.

In terms of new registrations, these are the provincial totals:

• Eastern Cape: 130 072 new voters (10,33 per cent)

• Free State: 70 161 new voters (5,57 per cent)

• Gauteng: 339 728 new voters (26,97 per cent)

• KwaZulu-Natal: 298 652 new voters (23,71 per cent)

• Limpopo: 86 835 new voters (6,89 per cent)

• Mpumalanga: 97 732 new voters (7,76 per cent)

• North West: 74 389 new voters (5,91 per cent)

• Northern Cape: 25 332 new voters (2,01 per cent)

• Western Cape: 136 659 new voters (10,85 per cent)

In line with population trends, women comprised 51,50 per cent of new registrations and men 48,50 per cent.

Registration remains open for eligible voters until 5pm on the day of the proclamation of the election date, which is expected to be later this month. Eligible voters still can register at their local IEC office until that day, after which the voters’ roll closes. Contact details for IEC offices are available at www.elections.org.za or call 0800 11 8000.