The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), South Africa’s electoral body, has taken voter registration to WhatsApp, the country’s most widely used messaging platform, in a bid to attract more young people to local elections. 

Launched on Tuesday ahead of Friday’s registration deadline, the service reflects a simple premise: that bringing voter registration to platforms young people already use could attract more of them to the democratic process.

The strategy appears to be gaining traction. Nearly half a million voter registration transactions during the IEC’s final registration drive came from people aged 16 to 29, while 46% of all new registrations were by voters under 29. The figures suggest digital platforms may be lowering barriers to registration. The bigger question, however, is whether making registration easier can also overcome the political disengagement that has defined past local elections.

The IEC introduced WhatsApp registration this week, allowing eligible citizens to register or update their voting details through a service that uses OTP authentication, ID document uploads, address verification and voting station confirmation. Sy Mamabolo, IEC Chief Electoral Officer, said the commission chose WhatsApp because it is already part of many South Africans’ daily lives.

“By leveraging a platform used daily by millions of South Africans, the commission is expanding access to voter registration, improving convenience and ensuring that more eligible voters can register or update their details before the close of the registration period,” he said. Mamabolo added that the platform’s identity verification measures are designed to protect the integrity of the voters’ roll.

For the IEC, WhatsApp is the latest step in a broader push to digitise voter services. While physical voting stations remain central to elections, the commission is experimenting with technology to reduce the friction of registering, particularly for younger citizens who are more comfortable interacting through mobile platforms than queuing at government offices.

Kate Bapela, the IEC’s spokesperson, told TechCabal that digital services have played an important role in attracting younger voters during the registration campaign.

“We have seen a significant increase in the number of young people participating, largely because of the digital platforms we’ve made available,” said Bapela. “Online registration has been successful, and the latest addition is the WhatsApp registration service.”

She said the commission’s goal is to remove as many barriers as possible for first-time voters ahead of the November local government elections.

“It’s looking good. We are pleased that we have been able to provide as many registration platforms as possible for young South Africans so that we don’t miss them. People like you and me have long been registered, but it’s the new generation we want to bring into the electoral process, and they’re really taking advantage of these opportunities,” she said.

Demand has been strong. Speaking to TechCabal on Friday, hours before voter registration closed, Bapela said the IEC’s digital platforms were operating “at full capacity” as South Africans rushed to beat the deadline. 

The commission’s figures also point to strong digital engagement. During the final voter registration weekend, South Africans completed 1.7 million registration-related transactions, including 291,016 first-time registrations, with the online registration portal accounting for 238,000 transactions.

WhatsApp may help the IEC register more young South Africans. Whether those new registrations translate into higher turnout is a different challenge altogether. Making registration easier removes one barrier to participation, but it does not necessarily address the political disillusionment that has depressed youth turnout in recent local elections. Ultimately, persuading newly registered voters to cast a ballot will depend less on technology than on whether political parties can convince them that voting is worthwhile.

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