Record 508 parties registered as IEC presses for election date clarity

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.

JEREMY MAGGS: South Africa’s electoral system is potentially facing a logistical crunch ahead of the next local government election.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says it urgently needs the official election date from government to finalise its planning, while a record 508 political parties have registered.

That, I think, raises concern about long ballot papers and the complexity of managing the vote.

Let’s discuss this in a little more detail now. Joining me is Masego Sheburi, who is the deputy chief electoral officer at the IEC. Masego, welcome, and let’s start with the urgency, why do you need that election date as soon as possible?

MASEGO SHEBURI: The commission announced the date of registration as 20 and 21 June, in preparation for the imminent general municipal council election.

In our experience, the yield of voter registration drives increases exponentially when voters know when the date of an election will be.

That is key, especially for a number of demographics.

Let’s take, for example, younger students in tertiary institutions who may be at campuses outside of their area of ordinary residence. They need to know where they are likely to be on election day, and that will inform their choice of where they register.

For purposes of planning, because there is a window period, the non-announcement of the date does not imperil proper preparations, but it does assist a great deal as it relates to the yield of registrations.

JEREMY MAGGS: Without a confirmed date, are there planning decisions then that are effectively on hold?

ADVERTISEMENT

CONTINUE READING BELOW

MASEGO SHEBURI: There are no plans that are on hold. In terms of the scheme, we know a window period within which an election must be held and the earliest date will be 2 November 2026 and no later than the end of January 2027.

Read: Ramaphosa admits ANC failings as municipal elections loom

So we can plan with certainty. All that we await confirmation of is on which Wednesday in those notionally 13 Wednesdays in the window period an election will be held.

JEREMY MAGGS: Is there any indication from government at this point as to when that announcement might be forthcoming?

MASEGO SHEBURI: The scheme provides that the commission must consult with the minister (Velenkosini Hlabisa).

However, the decision is that of the minister alone. Consultations have begun, on our part they have been concluded, and the minister has updated the commission that they have commenced consultations in the cabinet.

So we hope that in the not-too-distant future, there will be a decision on which date the elections will be.

That will help the totality of interested stakeholders to plan with certainty with a date in mind.

JEREMY MAGGS: I was very surprised when I saw this number, 508 registered political parties. That must surely pose a huge logistical challenge for the election itself.

MASEGO SHEBURI: Indeed, it does, and we want to hasten to add that we’re not (considering) this an administrative difficulty on the part of the IEC. The IEC exists to resolve those problems.

In the next elections, there will be over 4 700 unique elections, each with its unique ballot paper.

So the number of parties, if they all meet the requirement to contest, means we must place a very unwieldy ballot booklet in front of the voter, and that, we know, imposes cognitive difficulties on some voters to identify candidates or parties of their choice and to make their mark with confidence.

ADVERTISEMENT:

CONTINUE READING BELOW

Our only gripe is that a ballot paper must continue to maintain its utility for the voter, as the only tool available to the voter to make their choice, and for us to translate that choice into representation.

JEREMY MAGGS: But I guess there is the argument that if the ballot becomes too long, it increases the risk of slower voting, longer queues, and potentially counting delays.

MASEGO SHEBURI: Indeed, we do not take an issue with the multi-party system of governance.

But we think as a country, we must reach a consensus to see what constitutes a multi-party democracy and what constitutes fractured politics.

Our purpose is to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot paper in the hand of the voter, that it is not too lengthy, that it is not a booklet, so that the voter with relative ease can identify a party of their choice, and with confidence, register their choice.

JEREMY MAGGS: Which does raise the issue about the importance of electronic voting, which is something the IEC has considered.

MASEGO SHEBURI: Indeed, we have considered electronic voting. We have concluded consultation with stakeholders that were provincially based.

We have compiled a report that the commission has authorised for forward submission to the Minister of Home Affairs (Leon Schreiber) and to parliament.

That report, if approved, will become the basis of us developing a Green Paper, which sets out the policy choices that the country must make in relation to the adoption or otherwise of electronic voting.

From our consultations, stakeholders tell us a number of things. One, there is no general aversion to electronic voting.

However, people are supportive with caution that it must not worsen the issues of access to information, it must not worsen the issues of access to the digital economy, and that we must guard against the dangers of it being online and therefore susceptible to outside interference.

ADVERTISEMENT:

CONTINUE READING BELOW

JEREMY MAGGS: How much money is this election going to cost the IEC to run?

MASEGO SHEBURI: An indicative allocation for purposes of this election is about R2.2 billion. What explains that is, in this election, we will have a registration weekend as well as an election in one financial year, which distorts the cost of an election.

In a number of elections, fortunately, we are able to spread those activities over two financial years, and that has the benefit of spreading out expenditure and does not result in a spike in one financial year.

But the indicative cost and indicative allocation is about R2.6 billion.

JEREMY MAGGS: Could this potentially be our most expensive election yet?

MASEGO SHEBURI: I just need to verify, but I think this is the most budget we’ve had in a single year for an election.

JEREMY MAGGS: Is there concern about the funding as far as the IEC is concerned to run this election?

MASEGO SHEBURI: All of us, Jeremy, think we can do with a little bit more money to do other innovative things. However, we accept that we must compete with other pressing needs in the country.

Read:
Ranking post-94 SA presidents by their performance
Coalitions and political appointees are hobbling municipalities

From our perspective, National Treasury has always placed adequate resources at our disposal to run a decent election.

JEREMY MAGGS: Thank you very much indeed. That is Masego Sheburi, who is the deputy chief electoral officer at the Independent Electoral Commission.

#Record #parties #registered #IEC #presses #election #date #clarity