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Understanding the PR Vote in our Ward Elections

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I was asked an interesting question today which I had to check.

The question was; “Do ALL votes in a Local General Election count towards the PR vote total?”

My answer was: “YES, but let me check now that you have thrown doubt in my mind.”

According to the IEC:

Municipal by-elections in South Africa follow a mixed system. This is a combination of the ‘winner takes all’ and proportional representation systems. When it comes to calculating the final number of seats that goes to different parties, the principle of proportionality decides this.

For example, if there are 10 seats available in a municipality – 5 ward seats and 5 proportional representation (PR) seats:

  1. Party A, with 50% of votes, has a right to 5 seats: if they win 4 wards, they will get 1 PR seat.
  2. Party B, with 30% of votes, has 3 seats: if they win 1 ward, they will get 2 PR seats to end up with 3 seats.
  3. Party C, with 20% of votes, earns 2 seats: if they did not win any wards, they still get 2 PR seats to make up their total.

So the SHORT ANSWER is; “All Votes count towards the PR Vote.”

Author: Alan Straton from Ward 7 Nelson Mandela Bay.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.