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The Youth Vote in the 2021 Local Government Elections in South Africa

Few youth (including would-be first-time voters) registered to vote in the 2021 South African Local Government Elections, and among those registered, fewer still came out to vote on election day. Of the young voters in our sample (those aged 18-34 years) 42% self-reported having voted for the ANC, 25% for the DA, and 9% for the EFF. This means that, among young voters who cast a ballot, support for the ANC is almost double that for the DA, and support for the DA is well over double support for the EFF. Despite low support for the EFF among young voters, the youth nonetheless represent the EFF’s primary support base. Sixty percent of the EFF’s voters were under the age of 37. Voting trends for the main political parties by young voters follow generally expected patterns of class and racialized configurations of support. Young Black African voters mostly voted for the ANC while White, Coloured and Indian and Asian young voters mostly voted for the DA. Lower income groups had higher share of support for the ANC and the DA drew more of its votes from higher income groups. EFF supporters drew predominately their support from either end of the income scale, with their support concentrated in the lowest and highest income brackets. The explanations that young people gave for not voting were not distinct from that of older age cohorts. The three most common reasons were individual barriers (33%), such as not being in their registered ward on Election day, being at work, or saying they were simply ‘too busy’ to vote; administrative barriers (25%), such as not being registered to vote and being uninterested and disillusioned (17%). Youth voters display a non-negligible degree of voter fluidity, switching between voting and abstention, and in switching party support between elections. This mirrors similar trends that emerged in the wider electorate.