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ActionSA has made an official submission to the Electoral Review Consultation Panel (ERCP) to propose an alternative electoral model for South Africa that will increase voter turnout, enhance the quality of public representatives, and introduce lasting accountability. Our submission can be accessed here.

For 30 years, South Africa has used a pure proportional representation system based on the national project of nation building in 1994 that necessitated inclusivity. 30 years into our democracy our national project needs to move towards greater levels of accountability and raising the bar on the quality of public representatives. 

ActionSA has thus proposed a bold set of solutions that will re-prioritise accountability and re-energise voters to participate in the electoral process. In this regard we propose South Africa adopts a Mixed Member Proportional system (MMP). 

Adopting this system would require the following solutions:

• Every South African should automatically be registered to vote once they turn 18. Making this change increases voter turnout around the world.
• The adoption of compulsory voting. Currently, 21 countries have made it mandatory in law for citizens to vote. Failure to exercise one's democratic right will result in an appropriate sanction.
• South Africans being able to vote directly for a number of public representatives; such as their Mayor, MPL, Premier, MP, Head of the NPA, and President of the Republic.
• 300 seats in the National Assembly should be decided by regional multi-member constituency elections, whilst the other 100 current seats will be decided through PR elections.
• South Africa must be demarcated into 60 geographic constituencies equal to the current districts (52) and metros (8). 
• Voters will be provided with two ballots – one reflecting the list of candidates from each party in that constituency and the second ballot of the parties contesting the national elections. A number of candidates with the most votes will be declared elected to the National Assembly from each constituency equal to that constituency’s share of the 300 seats with the remaining 100 seats being filled by party lists to achieve overall proportionality.
• Local government elections should be held concurrently with National and Provincial Elections.

30 years into our democracy it is clear that South Africa has different needs to those that defined the negotiations prior to the adoption of our Constitution. Unaccountable, unethical and underperforming public representatives beholden only to their political parties bosses is now the greatest challenge facing legislators.

Central to any electoral model solution is need to prioritise the calibre of the candidate and end the era in which political parties receive votes and provide the public representatives that it suits them to provide. When parties win or lose elections based on the quality of their candidates, we will raise the low bar on the standard of public representatives in South Africa. 

Of equal importance is the need for accountability which this model of electoral system will generate, allowing voters to have their own members of parliament who they can hold accountable for their record in Parliament and their performance. 

Equally, with these changes to raise the standard of politics in our country, needs to come a corresponding discussion the responsibility of citizens. The move for compulsory voting is necessary in our country where elections are now being determined by a minority of eligibly-aged voters. 

ActionSA makes the submission confident that this would be a major step in the right direction for South Africa but cautious about the pattern of South African politics which masquerades on this matter which avoiding any measure of accountability. Electoral reform has been a central issue going back to The People’s Dialogue and we will not allow another round of hollow talks on this matter to be headlined by the Instagram Government of National Unity. 

Issued by ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont