Your personal need should be your WHY to vote
“We need civic education, we need to make them see the reason to vote and give them something to look forward to.”
On Thursday, November 17, Ground Work Collect (GWC) launched their first #X_Change voter registration digital portal to attract unregistered voters more especially young people.
The launch took in Braamfontein, a vibrant place for young people.
The purpose of the launch was to educate young people about the importance of registering to vote.
These discussions took place in a thematic round table where panellists addressed all issues around young people and voting.
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Mbali Ntuli, founder and CEO of GWC explained that, “Through the #X_Change campaign, we will be taking newly registered voters on an exciting journey where you are not only just registered to vote in the upcoming elections, but you are also equipped with essential civic education that will be the catalyst for active civic participation.”
One of the topics of discussion raised was that, South Africa has a declining youth participation in voting. This withdrawal of participation comes from young people being in despondency as well as not having a reason to vote.
Most political parties conduct rallies only to talk at people instead of engaging and going down to young peoples’ level of understanding and frustrations.
“Whenever we have political discourses, it’s always about racism and apartheid and the youth don’t care about that.
“You are not going to scare them into submission using that narrative,” said radio presenter, Mthokozisi MaBlerh Cele.
“We need civic education, we need to make them see the reason to vote and give them something to look forward to.”
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According to Tessa Dooms, a democracy, governance and policy expert and Director at Rivonia Circle, voting should be something we do as a collective, more especially young people.
Politicians need to work hard to earn our votes and we need to stand as a unity to ensure that the 2024 elections give us the democracy, we all long for.
“Voting is like a group project, they made us feel like it’s an individual thing and that is why we feel so powerless. But if we start treating it like a group assignment, we will change the dynamics,” said Dooms.
There is a pressing need for each and every one to make sure that South Africa does not lose the 70% population of young people that could literally change the fortunes for everyone.
“We are at that pivotal point of democracy where we become more democratic or less democratic. There is no country anywhere in the world that has ever become more democratic without the citizens themselves getting more involved,” Ntuli concluded.
