15.09.2025
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EFF proposes automatic voter registration at age 16

4 mins



  • The ID scanning device, also called the zip-zip machine is used to confirm the registration status of a voter.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has tabled a private member’s bill in Parliament to amend the Electoral Act of 1998. The proposed legislation aims to automatically register all South African citizens on the national voters’ roll at the age of 16, using data from the national population register.

Under the bill, the Electoral Commission would notify citizens of their registration and require them to confirm or update their place of residence before casting their first vote.

EFF MP Mazwi Blose says, “It doesn’t mean that at the time you’re turning 16, it should be the year of voting. Someone can turn 16 now, but you know that in the next local government elections, they will be eligible to vote.”

“So it’s always better to register our people earlier so that those who come of age when the election year arises are already on the voting roll. That way there won’t be a backlog of people that on the year of registration, you’ve got this huge numbers that you need to register. It is being a proactive government to register your people beforehand,” adds Blose.

Blose also says amending the Act would resolve the increasing voter apathy, as well as eliminate the need for registration drives ahead of the elections.

“The IEC should take a proactive approach, or rather an opt-out narrative rather than an opt-in, which then means that people must be automatically put into the voters’ roll and then those who do not want to can then deregister themselves rather than relying on people to go and register themselves to vote.”

VIDEO | EFF pushes for a change in SA’s electoral system 

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