Challenges and Changes in Political Behavior of City Community in the Local Election during Covid-19: Acehnese of Indonesia

Abstract

Changes in people's political behavior during Covid-19 became a separate problem for the government who wanted to carry out election in 2024 as it is known that this year the international world, including Indonesia, was hit by a Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, resulting in the rescheduling of the implementation of the democratic party in Indonesia. This research was conducted using observation and interview techniques using a list of questions as a research instrument,then the data were analyzed descriptively. The results of this study are: people's political behavior has changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, therefore, some people are afraid to come to give their right to vote on polling day.There are people's political behavior in the local election who are participating in the election and some are afraid to participate in the election, because after all this is a consideration that Covid-19 does not vote because of the frightening outbreak. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic made people afraid to exercise their right to vote when a democratic party was held, so the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak became a separate obstacle where people were prohibited from gathering together when they exercised their right to vote. Political behavior in the election has also changed due to changes in the political culture adopted by the community, but during the Covid-19 pandemic, people's political behavior changed by itself even though it was not influenced by political culture. Political behavior has changed because of people's fear of pandemic disease outbreaks that have hit the world as well as in Indonesia, so the government has to postpone the schedule for the elections to be held in Indonesia, because it is to break the chain of the Covid-19 pandemic.