OPINIONISTA: Whatever you do on 8 May, don’t not vote By Wayne Duvenage wayneduv
There are clear and obvious decisions being taken by many to stay away from voting in the national elections on 8 May 2019, which appear to be driven largely by reasons of disillusionment in the outcomes of our current political system; or the abuse of political authority; or of insufficient resonance with a myriad of political party offerings.
When one considers all that has gone before to achieve our hard-won freedom of which we are all part – be it before or after one’s birth – voting in the elections is the most significant of all public participation processes that determine how our country is run. A ballot paper is regarded as a spoilt vote if it has anything more than one cross alongside one party, or if the vote counters and monitors are unable to determine with certainty that the vote was clearly cast for one party. A line across the page is a spoilt vote. A descriptive note on the ballot paper is also a spoilt vote.shows the history of voter turn-out and spoilt papers in the past three South African national elections.
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