THE electoral roll for September 23 contains 15.8 million names. Look a little closer, however, and one number stands out: just 4% belong to voters aged between 18 and 24.
At the other end of the age scale, those aged 60 and above account for 29%.
Put another way, for every registered voter under 25, there are more than seven aged 60 or older.
The figures, finalized on July 10 following the exceptional revision of the electoral rolls, offer a useful picture of who will be eligible to vote when the country goes to the polls later this month.
And it is an electorate tilted towards the older age groups.
Those aged 35 to 44 account for 21% of registered voters. Another 21% are between 45 and 54, while the 55-59 bracket accounts for 10%.
The 25-34 age group represents 15%.
That leaves the youngest group, those aged 18 to 24, with by far the smallest share of the 15,801,162 registered voters.
The figures do not, on their own, tell us why. They do show what the electoral roll looks like going into September 23.
More men, more city voters
Age is not the only divide.
Men account for 54% of registered voters, against 46% for women.
The urban-rural split is slightly wider: 55% of voters are registered in urban areas and 45% in rural areas, according to figures published on the electoral rolls website.
Finding the polling station
With the electoral roll now closed, the practical work of getting voters to the right polling station is under way.
Local authorities have been distributing notices since August 24 telling voters where they should cast their ballots.
The notices also carry the election date and polling hours and will continue to be distributed until 6pm on September 22, the eve of the vote.
The Interior Ministry says the national identity card remains the only official document required to establish a voter’s identity at the polling station.
