Young Voters Are Turning Their Backs on South Africa’s Elections
- Number of citizens under 20 registered to vote has dropped 46%
- Students got free tertiary education for some through protests
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Young South Africans are turning their backs on elective politics at the fastest pace in at least two decades, a trend that may hurt the ruling party in next week’s vote.
The number of South Africans under 20 who have registered to participate in the May 8 general election has dropped to the lowest level since at least 1999, data from the Independent Electoral Commission show. It didn’t have details for the first non-racial elections in 1994. Among citizens aged 18 to 29 -- the biggest segment of the voting population -- registrations are at the lowest in at least a decade.