Voter Awareness Research Articles

Analysis of the Understanding and Political Awareness of New Voters in the 2024 Election: A Siyasah Dusturiyah Perspective

Analysis of the Understanding and Political Awareness of New Voters in the 2024 Election: A Siyasah Dusturiyah Perspective

Указание судимости как условие реализации избирательных прав граждан

The article reviews separate issues connected with exercising electoral rights by citizens with criminal history (convicted of committing a crime, having a criminal record). An introduction of the requirement for the indication of criminal record data by a candidate upon nomination and restriction of the right to be elected in respect of persons convicted of crimes of certain categories has resulted in the appearance of special understanding of a criminal record in the electoral procedure that differs from the understanding of this term in criminal law. The author suggests ways to update the laws in terms of indication of the respective data in order to raise awareness of voters about participation of mentioned persons in elections.

The Electoral College in Modern Democracy

The Electoral College, a voting system established by the Founding Fathers in the United States Constitution, has been a subject of controversy and debate for decades. This paper explores the shortcomings and ethical implications associated with the Electoral College, particularly in the context of modern democracy. The analysis begins with an introduction to the Electoral College system, its historical origins, and its role in balancing the interests of large and small states. It also explores various issues with the Electoral College, including the divergence between the popular vote and the election outcome, the impact on voter turnout, and the presence of faithless electors who deviate from the popular vote. It highlights the instances where the College has undermined the democratic process and emphasizes the dangers of decision-making falling into the hands of a closed group rather than reflecting the voice of the citizens. It addresses the arguments that it protects the interests of small states and acts as a safeguard against uneducated voting, concluding that these concerns are no longer valid in the contemporary political landscape, where power balance is already achieved through representation in Congress and education has improved voter awareness and understanding. While eliminating the Electoral College is naive, the paper suggests that amending the system is necessary to address its flaws and ensure a more equitable representation of the people's will. By enacting reasonable amendments, the United States can uphold the core values of democracy and ensure that the election of the president truly reflects the people.

Paradoxes of credible elections in Nigeria

This study examines the influence of public awareness campaign on electoral process in Nigeria. The paper used the conflict theory to explain the role of the political elite in the conduct of elections in Nigeria. The writers reviewed contemporary literature and empirical studies on election to bridge possible gap in knowledge between this research and the previous research on election studies. The paper adopted the survey method, and reviewed primary data on public perception of elections in Nigeria. The data extracted from questionnaires and hypotheses were analyzed and tested using chi-square (c2) statistical tool. There would normally be a relationship between public awareness of election and voters’ commitment to the success of the election. This study however, revealed that there was no correlation between public awareness of election processes and voters’ knowledge of their role in elections in Nigeria. So, there will be need for the Nigerian electoral commission to investigate why awareness campaign on elections appears to be ineffective in Nigeria.

PRU-15: TIADANYA PARTI POLITIK YANG MENANG MAJORITI MUDAH 112 KERUSI PARLIMEN UNTUK MEMBENTUK KERAJAAN PERSEKUTUAN MALAYSIA

The year 2022 is an important year for democratic politics in Malaysia. This is because a General Election (GE) was held to elect representatives to form a stronger and more stable government after the country experienced political turmoil with the appointment of three Prime Ministers to the extent that foreign investors were confused by Malaysia's political position. After the GE was held, Malaysian politics was still at a standstill because no single political party coalition won the GE with a simple majority of 112 parliamentary seats, therefore, the purpose of writing this article is to analyze the results, which is the first time in Malaysian political history that there is no political party won the GE just like the previous 14 GEs. Based on data analysis of the 2022 GE results, observations in the field and analysis of secondary sources such as journal articles and conference papers, the findings show that Pakatan Harapan (PH) won 82 seats, Perikatan Nasional (PN) won 74 seats, Barisan Nasional (BN) 30 seats , Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) 23 seats, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) 6 seats, Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN) 3 seats, Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) 1 seat, Social Democratic Prosperity Party (KDM) 1 seat and Independent 2 seats. The results of this general election show that no single party managed to get a simple majority of 112 seats to dominate Parliament and the Federal Government. This result is due to BN's failure to win a simple majority due to the large shift of Malay votes to PN. This large shift in votes is a factor in the awareness of Malay voters to choose clean political parties and leaders who can be expected to fight for the rights of Malays and Muslims. As a result of the wisdom of His Majesty the Yang Dipertuan Agong's orders and advice, a Unity Government was formed from 148 members of Parliament which is a 2/3 majority of the 222 members of the Malaysian Parliament consisting of PH, BN, GPS, GRS, WARISAN, KDM, PBM and 2 Independent Members of Parliament. PN (74 members of Parliament) did not join the Unity Government and acted as the opposition. With that as well, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim from PH has been appointed as the 10th Prime Minister. Therefore, political parties in this country do not have the best option as long as they need Malay-Muslim votes to control as many Parliament seats as possible and be able to form a strong and stable Government.

Voting Yes for Funding Public Parks: The Effectiveness of Social Media Communication in a Tax Referendum Campaign

Although local park and recreation agencies rely on various types of funding, tax-based allocations are the most significant funding source. Unfortunately, tax-based allocations have not kept pace with growing user demands and maintenance backlogs. As such, successful tax referenda are becoming critical for sustained operations and capital investment. Among the various activities that may sway public opinion, strategic messaging through a variety of media may be one of the most important. Using a county-level public park agency’s 2020 tax referendum as a case study, the purpose of this study is to identify successful communication strategies of open space referendum campaigns that secure support from voters. Data were collected from the campaign’s official Facebook page to examine what message content and post type were effective in increasing voter awareness and engagement. Results from regressions showed that messages that explained the ballot in plain language (e.g., Simplify Ballot Language), demonstrated support or approval from local organizations or local champions/celebrities (e.g., Endorsement), broke down the total amount of tax being requested (i.e., Temporal Reframing), and empha-sized the direct benefits if the referendum were passed (i.e., Direct Outcome) were most effective in increasing the awareness of the referendum. Among Facebook page followers, posts that demonstrated campaign efforts/activities (i.e., Demon-stration) and acknowledged individuals’ or organizations’ efforts to support the campaign (i.e., Acknowledgement) effectively increased engagement. In terms of Facebook post types, photo posts and video posts generally performed better than link and shared video posts. The study has three main practical implications for open space referenda advocates and managers concerned with campaign commu-nication: (1) solicit and demonstrate support from highly regarded local organiza-tions or individuals; (2) emphasize the direct benefits and break down the total amount of tax being asked; and (3) use short videos and scenic images.

The General Election Commission Strategy Through Election Education in Increasing the Political Participation of Beginners Voters Based on Democracy Principles

This study aims to examine the General Election Commission’s strategy through election education in increasing the political participation of new voters based on democratic principles. This research is a qualitative research. The results of this study indicate that novice voters basically need political education regarding elections held by the General Elections Commission. The condition of beginner voters who are still vulnerable to negative politics is certainly an obstacle to the progress of democracy in Indonesia. With political education for novice voters, of course the expected results at the upcoming democratic party in 2024 are increasing awareness of young voters.

The cyclicality of government environmental expenditure: political pressure in economic upturns and in recessions

ABSTRACT This is the first paper to explore the determinants of the cyclicality of government environmental protection expenditures. Attention focuses on political pressures to increase expenditure on public-sector programmes. These pressures change systematically over the economic cycle. In economic upturns, voters experience ‘fiscal illusion’. Governments can exercise discretion to increase environmental expenditures. In recessions, voters are far more aware. Vote maximising governments divert expenditures away from the environment, toward programmes that deliver more private-good benefits. Predictions are tested with reference to 28 OECD countries’ expenditures between 1992 and 2012. The cyclicality of expenditures depends on government sensitivity to systematic changes in voter awareness.

Menakar Partisipasi Pemilih Pemula dalam Pemilihan Kepala Daerah di Masa Pandemi Covid-19

This article aims to measure the participation of novice voters in the regional head election during the Covid-19 pandemic in the election of mayor and deputy mayor in Bandar Lampung in 2020. The problem is focused on beginner voters who have a strategic position in the 2020 Bandar Lampung Election. beginners in the 2019 election is 20% of the total voter turnout as a whole. In order to approach this problem, Gabriel Almond's theoretical reference on forms of political participation is used. The data was collected through an online survey using google form and analyzed qualitatively. This study concludes that, first, 92% of respondents know that in December 2020 in Bandar Lampung there will be an election for Wakot and 79.5% of novice voters exercise their right to vote voluntarily. Second, 47.3% of novice voters have protested against policies made by the government and 70.5% of respondents did not participate in the public debate of the mayor and deputy mayor of Bandar Lampung in 2020. Third, novice voters in choosing a candidate for mayor and the deputy mayor is not influenced by money politics with a percentage of 96.4%. Fourth, 81.3% of novice voters answered that they were not influenced by their parents in using their right to vote and Awareness of novice voters using their right to vote as citizens was 97.3%.

INFLUENCE OF VOTING IN ELECTIONS ON RESPONSIVE GOVERNANCE IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY GOVERNMENT, KENYA

Purpose- This study focused on establishing the influence of voting in elections on responsive governance in Kenya. Its main objective was to establish the influence of voting in elections on responsive governance in Kenya.
 Methodology- Descriptive research design and positivism research philosophy were adopted. The study focused on a target population of 680 respondents from Eighty-five wards within Nairobi County, and data was collected from the following groups of respondents; Civil society representative, religious representative, ward administration representative, youth representative, women representative, the special interest group representative, a representative of the citizens’ anticipating county services and a representative of the old aged residents were targeted. A sample size of 139 respondents was determined though purposive sampling technique. Primary data was collected through questionnaires and secondary data through published materials. Data was analysed through SPSS and presented in tables. Hypothesis testing was done through the use of t-test. F test (ANOVA) was also conducted to ascertain the difference between groups on study variable.
 Findings- The study found that voting in elections has a positive and significant relationship with responsive governance. The study concluded that that citizen’s education influences their ability and decision to vote in leaders who are effective in service delivery. The study also concluded that incumbent leader performance influences achievement of county goals. Based on the study findings, the researcher recommends that there is need to establish, County, Sub-County and Ward Citizens Forums to enhance voter awareness of residents in local governance. The forums will specifically enable citizens to engage directly in the planning, policy making and monitoring of service delivery accorded to them.
 Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need in understanding how voting in elections can influence responsive governance. The study therefore recommends that all citizens should be empowered and given the rights to vote in their desired leader. Additionally, free and fair elections should be conducted to ensure that candidates with clear manifestos are elected.

Television Democratization and the Political Awareness of Voters in Indonesia

This study explores how the democratization of media in Indonesia enhanced the role of television stations in raising voters’ political awareness about the 2014 legislative election. For this qualitative study, we interviewed two media experts and the chief editors of six television stations. We find that there are three general factors negatively affect TV’s role as a free public sphere, namely, production constraints, owners` political interests, and commercial aspects of the television industry. Concentration of ownership and commercialization have increased television’s orientation toward profit, minimizing its educative role, and minimizing its neutrality. However, television still increased voters’ awareness regarding the election technicalities but failed to reflect the visions of the competing candidates. The establishment of innovative community television could be an alternative for commercial TV in Indonesia. However, the performance of community TVs in Indonesia is hindered by the restricted access to frequency spectrum and low financial capabilities.

Radio Exposure and Drivers of Electoral Participation among Women Voters under the New Devolved Political Structure in Kenya

Radio dominates the news media ecosystem in Kenya. However, little is known about the relationship between radio exposure and drivers of electoral participation in Kenya. This research thus examines the correlation between radio exposure and political knowledge and attitudes, and interpersonal political discussions among women voters during the 2013 Kenya general election in Kakamega County. The study adopted a descriptive quantitative correlational research design, collecting data from 372 women voters using a survey interviewer-administered questionnaire. The data was analyzed through bivariate statistics based on Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients. Findings reveal a strong and positive correlation between radio exposure and political knowledge as well as election campaign interest. This suggests that radio exposure can contribute to political learning and create voter awareness on political activities and rights that lead to election campaign interest. It was established that there was a low positive link between women voters’ radio exposure and the frequency of face-to-face political discussions. The association between radio exposure and political self-efficacy was found to be strong but negative. This indicates that an increase in the level of radio exposure can lower women voters’ political self-efficacy. We argue that as a result of long political marginalization, women require higher levels of political self-efficacy, which radio exposure might not build over a shorter time during elections. This article explores various implications and recommends to policymakers, political strategists, and journalists to tap into the power of radio in boosting the key drivers of women’s electoral participation.

PRE-ELECTION AWARENESS OF VOTERS IN INDIA

The present paper examines the role of voters before an election. It analyses the awareness and participation of voters before an election and what will they do to make them active partners in the democratic system of India. In this paper, right of vote, media coverage, political interest and political discussion have an impact on voters. Whether voter’s political awareness influences their participation in electoral activities. The results indicate that a majority of the voters need more awareness about politics. Their level of political awareness is accounted for by their level of interest in politics, pattern of media use and frequency of political discussion. The result also reports a limited impact of political awareness on voter’s participation in electoral activities.

General Election Debates – Problems and Solutions

Pre-election debates are one of the most important steps in the electoral process – indeed, they serve an important public interest as they inform the American public about the issues of the day and offer a forum by which candidate proposed solutions may be heard. However, pre-election debates are led by moderators who generally do not have expertise in many of their key topic areas, such as law or judicial studies; and because of this, the propositions and arguments made by candidates in the pre-election time may be de-contextualized during debates such that the voting public may be misled in terms of the practicality of candidate positions. It is not unusual for individuals to unwittingly make propositions which insufficiently account for the confines of governmental structures, norms, and institutions in important ways. Likewise, it is not expectable for candidate to have absolute expertise in all areas of the debate, such as from health care to international law. This presents a real and pressing problem or issue for the quality of debates and democracy. It would be useful for pre-election debates to have additional facilitators present to provide basic factual and scientific information, as well to define key terms and principles relevant to American government and political life. Thus, given the current format of pre-election debates, this policy brief offers proposals to increase voter awareness and thus strengthen American democracy through amendments to the pre-election debate format for general elections.

The Awareness Paradox: (Why) Politicians Overestimate Citizens’ Awareness of Parliamentary Questions and Party Initiatives

ABSTRACT If politicians believe they will be rewarded for responsive behaviour at the ballot and punished for the opposite, they are disciplined to follow-up on the public’s desires. That the treat of electoral accountability prompts re-election minded politicians to act in line with the public’s wishes, vitally hinges on the assumption that politicians feel monitored in the first place. To tunderstand how this precondition for anticipatory representation works in reality, this article examines politicians’ perceptions of voters awareness of party initiatives and parliamentary questions. Quantitative and qualitative survey evidence collected among Belgian Members of Parliament (N = 164) shows that politicians consider citizens as rather uninformed about politics but, paradoxically, believe that some of them are aware of specific party initiatives and oral questions. Evidence on citizens’ actual knowledge shows that politicians strongly overestimate voter awareness. Why is that? From their reflections, we learn that MPs overgeneralise feedback they receive from engaged citizens, leaving them with a biased image of how aware voters actually are. Also, the exceptionally of gaining visibility with their work causes politicians to overestimate the scope of awareness when they are covered in the media, receive reactions on their social media accounts or simply work on salient topics.

Challenges and Opportunities in the Management of Electoral Conflicts in Nairobi County, Kenya

This study sought to examine the challenges and opportunities in the management of electoral conflicts in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study used a descriptive research design. Questionnaires, interview guides, and FGDs were used to collect primary data whereas secondary data was gathered from journals and reports. Quantitative data was analysed by SPSS version 22 while qualitative data was analysed through coding, verbatim and thematic organization. The study found out that the major challenges to the peacebuilding process include suspicion, lack of trust, ethnicity, corruption within the electoral body, misinterpreting the constitution, and rampant unemployment across the country. From the findings and the expansive literature review, peacebuilding efforts can be boosted by training security forces, conducting voter awareness campaigns, developing citizens trust, conducting civic education, training and planning, and monitoring and watchdog initiatives. The findings and recommendations of this study will benefit scholars in the field of peacebuilding and related fields, policy makers, and other stakeholders in peacebuilding and conflict management.

Institutional initiatives towards expanding democracy: the Election Commission of India and electoral mobilisation

ABSTRACT The Election Commission of India (henceforth, the EC), an institution created by the Constitution of India in 1950, manages and conducts parliamentary and state assembly (provincial level) elections. In recent elections, it has made tremendous efforts to make the electoral process more participatory. More than 900 million people were eligible to vote in the Indian parliamentary elections of 2019. In addition to the conventional ways of spreading voter awareness, the EC tried to reach out to voters through previously untried means to persuade them to come to the polling booths and vote – reflecting an institutional enthusiasm for popular mobilisation. However, there are also a significant number of missing names from the electoral rolls, and the EC faces accusations of being apathetic towards this anomaly. Is this eagerness on one hand and anomaly on the other symptomatic of ‘democracy at crossroads’, with India transiting to a more efficacious and involved institutional functioning, or is this an instance of strained institutional performance in the face of rising popular aspirations and tighter executive controls? The paper tries to explore this theme by looking at the functioning of the EC and its efforts towards voter participation in India.

Awareness of Spitzenkandidaten in the 2019 European elections: The effects of news exposure in domestic campaign contexts

With the introduction of the so-called Spitzenkandidaten procedure, by which European party families nominate lead candidates for the post of President of the European Commission for European elections, the European Parliament (EP) sought to raise voter awareness and engagement by personalizing the campaigns. This article studies candidate recognition with respect to Spitzenkandidaten, which is an important prerequisite in the study of personalization effects on voter behaviour. We use novel survey data collected in 10 European countries in the 2019 EP election campaign ( n = 17,027). The article focuses on the role of voters’ news exposure in various media and argues that news exposure is crucial for candidate recognition, but its effect is contingent upon the domestic campaign context. The article is the first to show that the campaign context matters to the extent that news exposure is particularly relevant in those domestic contexts in which Spitzenkandidaten were not previously present. In other campaign contexts additional news exposure adds little to the effect of news exposure on candidate recognition. The results have important implications for understanding EP election campaigns.

Local Elections in the Social Media Era (Socialization of Local Election through Social Media for Beginner Voters by Garut Regency Election Commission in 2018 Regional Election)

The low voter turnout in the Regional Elections (Pilkada) in Garut Regency in 2008 and 2013, made the Pilkada take place in two rounds. This happened because of a lack of awareness of voters to vote. This situation was then followed up by the Regional Election Commission (KPUD) of Garut Regency by using social media for socialization, especially for beginner voters among students. In this regard, a study is needed to identify factors that influence KPUD in socializing 2018 regional elections for beginner voters, as well as how the challenges faced in utilizing social media. This study was conducted through qualitative descriptive approach to identify existing challenges and to understand the factors that influence the use of social media by KPUD as methods for socializing the local elections. Data collection techniques were conducted through interviews to seven informants and seven month observations of research. The results revealed that the challenge of using social media in the local elections was the low level of digital literacy of beginner voters and account administrators of KPUD because the content was not managed specifically and routinely. The use of social media on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube contain informative content in the form of socialization activities but has not led to a message of persuasion to novice voters.
 Keywords: Social Media, Election Socialization, Beginner Voters

Political Education for High School Students in Makassar City

This article aims to discuss the political activity of beginner voter education for high school students to realize the awareness of novice voters to participate in elections, understanding the importance of the role of novice voters in the democratic process, and knowledge of political developments for novice voters. The results achieved are the emergence of student enthusiasm in discussing matters related to political issues. It is quite visible that this is marked by the topics they discuss about elections that produce trustworthy leaders and then enlightenment given in understanding the importance of novice voters in participating the election was well received and the enthusiasm for conducting the election received a positive response from the students, but it was interesting because it turned out that students' understanding of the general election was more influenced by the media they watched such as TV and social media