OPINION: South Africa’s 2024 election: what the numbers tell us.
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GUEST - Leon Louw - CEO, Freedom Foundation
Democracy is thought of as establishing ‘majority rule, yet, even with a ‘landslide victory’ a winner with as many as two-thirds (66%) of the vote, would represent a mere 27% of the South African electorate. A simple 50% majority of the vote would be just 20% (1 in 5) of the electorate.
The irony is that the majority – which never achieves power – is almost always non-voters. This raises profound questions, such as whether ‘None of the Above’ should be on every ballot, or whether formal provision should be made for non-voting ‘silent’ majorities to be represented.
Democracy is thought of as establishing ‘majority rule, yet, even with a ‘landslide victory’ a winner with as many as two-thirds (66%) of the vote, would represent a mere 27% of the South African electorate. A simple 50% majority of the vote would be just 20% (1 in 5) of the electorate.
The irony is that the majority – which never achieves power – is almost always non-voters. This raises profound questions, such as whether ‘None of the Above’ should be on every ballot, or whether formal provision should be made for non-voting ‘silent’ majorities to be represented.