Twitter: Misinformation Concerning Party Membership

Outcome

Overview

The complaint concerns a tweet which alleges that the Democratic Alliance (DA) party has more registered voters than the African National Congress (ANC). The complainant asserts that this claim constitutes misinformation, as party membership or voting intentions are not disclosed during the voter registration process.

Background & Outcome

REAL411 OUTCOME: The information posted is misleading as it is suggesting that it has more votes than the ANC and people have not started voting yet. Members of the public register to vote with the IEC, which is the constitutional body that specifically runs and oversees the elections. Members of the public do not register with political parties. Further, people who register to vote do not have to disclose which party they will be voting for. IEC COMMENT: The Electoral Commission (IEC) has reviewed the complaint which the Real 411 contends is misleading. Chapter 2 of the Electoral Act 73 of 1998 cloaks the Chief Electoral Officer with exclusive jurisdiction to compile and maintain a national common voters’ roll. During the voter registration process, no data regarding a voter’s political party preference or affiliation is obtained, collated, published or disseminated. The IEC is of the view that the complaint should be referred to the platform for further investigation.

06 February 2024 10:58:07|Logged by: DalyR||The Electoral Commission (IEC) has reviewed the complaint which the Real 411 contends is misleading. Chapter 2 of the Electoral Act 73 of 1998 cloaks the Chief Electoral Officer with exclusive jurisdiction to compile and maintain a national common voters’ roll. During the voter registration process, no data regarding a voter’s political party preference or affiliation is obtained, collated, published or disseminated. The IEC is of the view that the complaint should be referred to the platform for further investigation.|| Secretariat Recommendation: Please see bizarre misinformation by the DA.

["ELECTION DISINFORMATION"]

Actions taken: ["RESOLUTION"]

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