Local elections 2021: Local elections vs national elections
While national government makes central laws and sets policies for the country, the decisions taken by local governments have a direct bearing on the quality of people’s lives.
Local elections have a direct impact on the citizens of a municipal area.
The people and parties voted into the municipal council take decisions on matters that affect everyday life, such as water supply, road maintenance, electricity, and essential services, says Prof Erwin Schwella, a political analyst and dean of the School of Social Innovation at Hugenote Kollege in Wellington.
The national elections, on the other hand, are to do with central government, which makes and enforces national laws and policies. Often, ideologies rather than practical issues play a big role in these elections, says Schwella.
“Local government represents a learning opportunity for politicians. You often find that councillors become provincial councillors and later national office bearers. Local government is the basic formative process for political leadership,” says Schwella.
South Africa use both a ward system and the system of proportional representation (PR) in municipal councils.
According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, there are three types of municipal councils in South Africa:
Category A
Metropolitan councils
Category B
Local councils
Category C
District councils. District councils have executive and legislative powers in areas that include local municipalities.
Ballot papers for local elections
Residents of a metropolitan municipality will receive two ballot papers in a municipal election:
• One for the metropolitan ward election, in which you vote for a specific person to represent your ward.
• A second for metropolitan PR votes. The more votes a party gets, the more PR seats they get on the council.
Here, you vote for a political party and not an individual. Residents of a local council or a district council will receive three ballot papers:
• One for the ward election, in which you vote for a specific person to represent your ward.
• Another for PR on the local council. You will choose your preferred political party on this ballot paper.
• The third ballot is for PR on the district council. Again, you will vote for the political party of your choice.
Also see: Seven reasons why you should vote
