Voter registration

As South Africa heads to the polls on 7 May for the 2014 national and provincial elections, this month’s map of the month highlights voter registration across South Africa and Gauteng. The registered voter percentages at a provincial and municipal-level (within Gauteng) were derived by comparing the number of registered voters in the 2014 Certified Voter’s roll: 5 March 2014 (available on the IEC website) against the Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) voting age population (VAP) estimates.

According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), 80.8% (25 390 150) of eligible voters are registered in South Africa. Gauteng has the highest number of registered voters, with just over 6 million voters, but the lowest percentage, 77.1%. The highest registration levels are located in the Free State with 86%. Within Gauteng, voting registration figures vary from 74.8% in Ekurhuleni and Lesedi, to 85.4% in Midvaal. Interestingly, Johannesburg has the highest numbers of registered voters, 2 184 484 – more than the registered provincial voting population of the Free State (1 449 488), Mpumulanga (1 860 834), North West (1 669 349) or Northern Cape (601 080).