In the last national election, over 30 percent of voters didn’t participate, indicating a concerning lack of engagement. Many young people, disheartened by the belief that their vote won’t matter, have opted out of the system. Yoh, Vote is here to change that mindset and rekindle the fire of political participation.
They understand that the overwhelming flood of information and jargon can be off-putting (as well as all the political double-speak). That’s why they’re creating a fresh and non-partisan platform. Yoh Vote aims to simplify the process of engaging with political parties and understanding their standpoints, making it easier for young South Africans to make informed decisions about the future of their nation.
Introducing Yoh Vote, a dynamic initiative born from the passion of young South Africans who firmly believe in the potential of their country. They aim to empower every citizen with the right and responsibility to be politically informed and engaged in our hard-fought democracy.
It’s not to be confused with the US app called Yo Vote! I heard about this app from an interview with the co-founder by Newzroom Afrika at https://youtu.be/zYPZcqGz9fI?si=G_Hl8vv1phAKtdkn. You’d think politicians, or the IEC, would have come up with a solution like this already, but it goes to show how far-removed politics is from the youth. This initiative is a student-led team of 6 individuals that are seeking to encourage voter registration and youth involvement in South African politics.
The app is web based, so the matchmaking can be done with any desktop computer or mobile browser by just visiting the page linked below. I took the test myself and it actually aligned with what I had last voted, but you may be surprised to get a different outcome from what you thought your alignment may be.