However, a 47 percent drop in 18 and 19-year-olds registered to vote is a cause for concern.

The Institute for Security Studies has found that youth participation in politics and voting depends on how satisfied they are with democracy; and the performance of political parties in addressing the socio-economic challenges they face.

In terms of the total voters’ roll, Gauteng has the most registered voters (6 366 629 or 23.8 percent of the total voters’ roll followed by KwaZulu-Natal (5 525 222 or 20.7 percent), Eastern Cape (3 365 821 or 12.6 percent), Western Cape (3 120 239 or 11.7 percent), Limpopo (2 607 294 or 9.75 percent), Mpumalanga (1 949 163 or 7.3 percent), North West (1 703 795 or 6.37 percent), Free State (1 463 790 or 5.47 percent) and Northern Cape (625 968 or 2.34 percent).

Based on latest voting age population estimates from Statistics South Africa, the current voters’ roll reflects a total registration by 74.5 percent of the eligible population.

The Electoral Commission is pleased with the overall registration level which remains high by international standards for countries with a voluntary registration system. However, the Commission remains concerned that approximately 9.8 million eligible voters are still not registered of which approximately 6 million are under 30 years old.

eNCA