A look at: 1. The performance of the UFC in 2024 (and that of its component parts), 2. Whether it achieved its objectives (of securing ANC votes and not fragmenting the opposition) and, 3. To try and establish some parameters for its prospects in 2026.
Read the rest of this entry »This is the second in a two part series. Here I will outline the most plausible scenarios for the DA to obtain 50% in Johannesburg, using the method and tools set out in Part 1.
Read the rest of this entry »This is the first in a two part series, that sets out the methodological ground work for Part II. Here I will establish the numbers and method used to generate plausible 50% scenarios for the DA in Johannesburg. In Part II, I will focus on the outcomes of this process.
Read the rest of this entry »An in-depth look at Action South Africa’s prospects in the 2026 elections, with a particular focus on its electoral record in Johannesburg. The metro constitutes something of a double-edged sword for ASA, both its greatest strength, and greatest weakness, as it looks to expand.
Read the rest of this entry »Here I explain what a turnout track is and how it works, with a view to producing a range of these graphs for the Resources Page. Their most powerful insight is comparative, allowing us to see a turnout differential between two parties.
Read the rest of this entry »A look at the voters’ roll, its relationship to election turnout, the manner in which it has fluctuated over time and what that means. All of which sets the scene for 2026/7 and emphasises just how critical the two registration weekends that will precede the next election are to political parties generally, and the opposition in particular.
Read the rest of this entry »We have looked, in detail, at turnout trends, which will be a determining factor in the next elections. The other primary force – perhaps even more impactful than turnout – is fragmentation: the degree to which the ANC’s and DA’s vote share has split since 2011. Back then, those two parties had a monopoly on the metro vote. Since then, both the number of “Other Parties” and their combined vote share, has exploded.
Read the rest of this entry »An in-depth look at the ANC and DA strongholds in Johannesburg, and how they have performed over time. This essay relies on a series of heat maps, which illustrate ANC and DA support and, mapped over time, demonstrate the role these strongholds have played and where they stand, ahead of the next election.
Read the rest of this entry »A comprehensive look at turnout trends in Cape Town, with a focus on the ANC and DA. The DA’s urban stronghold, which boasted a 66% majority at one stage, now sits in the 50% bracket. The ANC has faded away into obscurity and, in its wake, the rise of smaller parties, along with declining turnout, would now seem to pose the biggest threat to the DA’s dominance.
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