As South Africans head to the polls in what could be the most significant elections in 30 years, polls suggest that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) might lose the majority it has held since 1994.
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As election campaigns intensified in the days leading up to today, an old rumour resurfaced on social media: The claim that if a voter does not cast their ballot, their vote automatically goes to the ruling party, which is the ANC.
The rumour has various versions, but they all assert the same falsehood: By not voting your vote defaults to the ANC.
Some examples include:
- If you were a voter and then stopped voting, your vote automatically counts for the ruling party.
- If you do not vote, your vote will be counted for the ANC.
- Registered voters who don’t vote will have their votes counted for the ruling party.
All South African citizens aged 18 and older are eligible to vote but must first register with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to vote. The claim that non-votes automatically go to the ruling party is baseless.
South Africa’s Electoral Act of 1998 outlines the vote-counting process, with no provision stating that uncast votes go to the ruling party.
The IEC’s records show voter turnout and election statistics. In 2019, the voter turnout was 66.05%, meaning 17,672,851 of 26,756,649 registered voters cast their votes, leaving 9,083,798 uncast ballots. These non-votes did not count toward the ANC.
The ANC received 10,026,475 votes, or 57.5% of valid votes, securing 230 out of 400 parliamentary seats. If the 9 million non-voting ballots had been counted for the ANC, its share would have unrealistically increased to 109.59% of valid votes. Such a scenario is implausible and unsupported.
The rumour has circulated for over a decade, reappearing during the 2011, 2014, and 2019 elections. In 2019, the IEC addressed and debunked it, noting that if it were true, the ANC would prefer low voter turnout and wouldn’t encourage voting.
Every eligible voter must participate in the election, ensuring their voice is heard and contributing to the health of democracy. Rest assured, not voting does not mean your vote goes to the ruling party.
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