Voter turnout could be as high as 60% in the March 1 local government elections, a Human Sciences Research Council study has found.
There was a 49% poll turnout in the 1995/96 local government election, and a 48% turnout in the 2000 local government election.
More than 21-million of a possible 27-million eligible voters are registered to vote.
About 81% of registered voters plan to cast a ballot, according to the survey conducted on behalf of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and released on Tuesday.
”Today you can say I want to vote and something makes you angry and you decide not to vote,” HSRC researcher Susan Sedumedi said of the discrepancy in the statistics.
The HSRC questioned 5 000 South Africans on voter participation in elections for the survey.
”It is encouraging to note the overwhelming interest by South Africans in voting even after six successive elections,” IEC chairperson Brigalia Bam said.
According to the survey, people choose not to vote because of a lack of interest in politics and dissatisfaction with municipal service delivery.
They also find floor-crossings discouraging, feeling their vote would be wasted. Six out of 10 respondents wanted the practice discontinued.
Knowing their vote would make a difference would encourage them to vote, a third of respondents told the study.
It would also be encouraging if there were shorter queues and political parties they believed in, said others.
Almost 80% of people who had voted previously felt there had been no irregularities in the elections in which they participated.
The study found about 20% of Africans were ”very satisfied” with the way democracy was working, as were 6% of coloureds, 4% of whites and 2% of Indians. — Sapa