22. ELECTIONS

22. ELECTIONS

NOTING

• Our declining levels of support and inability to implement our complete election campaign strategy 
• Decreasing campaign management capacity and inability to maintain data on supporters and respond to issues
• Our inability to communicate coherently and get leaders to stay on message
• The candidate selection process and controversy that surrounds it in some areas
• The change in VD and ward boundaries that affect ANC branches and the fact that urbanisation happens mostly in our wards.  Delaying re-demarcation for more than one 5 year period negatively affects our vote as more voters have the same vote as less voters in wards that do not grow. And that it will be unconstitutional as wards must be within 10% the same size
• A tendency to insult voters by “gifts” of food parcels and blankets before elections as a substitute for effective service delivery
• An increase in dirty tactics by political parties in local elections, like “bussing” voters to register outside their own ward and intimidation to stop voters from participating

RESOLVES

1. Building a professional and permanent election capacity at national and provincial level, instructing the NEC and other leadership collectives to implement the resolution on maintaining full-time election capacity at national, provincial and regional level.
2. Building on the ANC national cloud data base and supporting this work from regional and sub-regional level. Use the cloud to also track campaign work and municipal service delivery programme and progress.
3. Strengthen communications capacity and training at all levels
4. Branches must be more actively involved in the ward demarcations process and sub-regions and regions must help branches to adjust their membership and BECs after re-demarcation
5. Build a strong culture of respect for democracy, tolerance and fair practice during election campaigns and strengthen our capacity to monitor and respond to these practices.
6. In selecting ANC councillors, the process should start with communities before finalization by the ANC.