Voter abstention in the South African general election of 1999

Abstract

Three and a half million South Africans abstained from voting in the general elections of June 1999. Falling turnout was partly the effect of disenfranchisement, the consequence of registration exclusion, but it also reflected voluntary political disengagement. Political parties were substantially to blame for voter disaffection, for in their electioneering they neglected those groups who were most inclined to abstain. Comparative experience suggests that declining turnout in South Africa may strengthen authoritarian politics.

Notes

1 The research for this paper was supported with funds from the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa.