How Can We Get More Young People To Register As Voters.

When the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) launched its month-long voter drive on October 4th, 2021, it targeted registering at least 6 million new voters, with a large chunk of this being young voters. However, the numbers were extremely underwhelming, with only 1,421,710 new registered voters. These numbers are worrying especially for the youth because historically, the Kenyan youth have not been included in governance. Therefore, it is clear that if this situation is to change, the youth must ensure they are registered to ensure their voices are heard.

Many young people are no longer interested in the electoral process, are not planning to vote in the upcoming general elections, and have completely detached themselves from political activities. This, however, is not because of the uncaring or lazy attitude that the media and some politicians are claiming, the contrary is that they do care and are volunteering in more numbers than before. The youth have either lost their faith or have never had faith in the top-down political process. This means that they do not see how their leaders understand the issues that affect their daily lives, making them feel like they are the last group the politicians want to talk to.

Acknowledging the dire need for increased youth participation in the electoral process, The Youth Café has been working on ways to get more young people to register as voters. Research by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), shows that the youth could be largely categorized in three distinct demographics, classified according to age; with the first demographic being young people aged between 18-24 years, then 25-29 years and 30-35 years. Each of these key demographics will require a different approach to get them to register as voters.

It is now critical to look at some of the solutions or ways to involve the young people to participate in this electoral process to attract a larger turnout.

Young people between 18-24 years of age are most likely to be involved in the electoral process for the first time in their lives. This generation of youth has grown up in a highly digitized era, therefore, the focus should be on taking advantage of the technological media to encourage them to register as voters. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and other popular social media platforms, could be used to mount digital activation drives to ensure young people register as voters. 

The astronomical rise in the use of influencer marketing is a clear indicator that young people are very receptive to information received from people they deem to be their peers, and in such a scenario, the leaders can endorse a young person that the youth can relate to.

The use of influencers and other social media figures, who post high-quality videos, as well as advanced hashtags that encourage voter registration among the youth, will go a long way in ensuring that more young people register as voters. Some of the hashtags, for example, the #ECVR 2021 campaign should appeal to the plight of young people and how registering as voters will ensure their issues are addressed. 

A large number of the young people in this demographic attend institutions of higher learning such as universities and polytechnics. They also participate in campus activations and tours, which could also be used as an effective mode of encouraging youth voter registration. For this cohort, getting the youth to show up and participate is a simple logical process through the use of fashion shows, glam sessions, and PlayStation competitions, among other methods to attract them to the events, as these are activities that the youth can relate to. Once here, they should be educated on the importance of registering as voters and exercising their civic rights.

They could also be sensitized to the obvious impactful threats that arise from disengaging from their civic duties and be well informed of the difference their participation could make. This strategy can also be extended to roadshows and community activities in both formal and informal settlements with the use of popular artists and other social influencers to attract the young people in this cohort who do not attend institutions of higher learning.

For young people between 25-29 years of age, the use of youth forums would prove an effective method in getting them to register as voters. The majority of young people in these demographics are in the early stages of their careers or have recently begun to engage in various economic activities to support themselves. These forums could address the everyday challenges of the young people in their jobs or other aspects of their lives. During these forums, young people will be encouraged to register as voters to ensure that the leaders chosen in the upcoming general elections are aware of the issues prevailing and will formulate policies to address them.

Over the past few years, the BodaBoda industry has grown exponentially with a large number of the people involved in this industry being young people. The industry is estimated to employ about 1.4 million people. Collaboration between election stakeholders such as the IEBC and the riders associations could ensure that the young people working in this industry are encouraged to register as voters. This method applies to both informal and formal sectors, where associations and SACCOs with youthful members could be used to spread voter registration information to their members.

The use of sporting activities such as local football matches and community-centered activities could also prove a key strategy in encouraging young people to register as voters. Young people are typically drawn to these gatherings, and it is here that they can be educated on the need for voter registration. This information could be passed on through leaflets and flyers to be distributed at the events or through meetings held after the events where civic educators encourage the young people to register as voters. 

The use of local vernacular radio stations would be a very effective strategy to encourage voter registration among youth aged between 30-35 years. These stations could have some segments during their shows to encourage their listeners to register as voters. The information could specify where voter registration stations can be found in the localities as well as indicate the documents needed when one is going to register as a voter. The segments could also be interactive where listeners are allowed to air their views on the electoral process, thus allowing the youth to take ownership in the process and therefore decrease voter apathy in this demographic.

Rotational voter registration centers should be set up strategically in frequently accessed areas such as markets. A majority of young people in this demography have expressed an inability to take time off their busy schedules to visit voter registration centers. The convenience of these rotational centers will allow young people to register as they move about their daily activities, resulting in a rise in the number of new voters.

The entire world has gone digital, for instance, the west where online voting is mostly encouraged. According to a recent survey where an interview was carried out in colleges and universities, most young people supported the idea of an online voting system. 

Online voting is advantageous because it enables voters to correct mistakes made and return to the ballots to change their selection before final submission. Voters also have an option of saving metadata about their ballot immediately after submitting. Online voting will also increase voter turnout by sending email reminders, especially when having a vast idea of who has and who has not voted. Printing, mailing and tabulating paper ballots can prove to be expensive, therefore, online voting can help with the issue of the spoiled ballot, and election results may remain in your account for more than ten years, where luckily, voters' data is secured and backed up through encryption.

We at The Youth Café continue to be involved in advocating for youth voter registration, as was demonstrated in our involvement in the IEBC Youth Coordinating Committee On Elections. The YCC draws its membership from youth-focused and youth-serving organizations across the country and will use these existing structures to conduct voter education and mobilization of young people to register as voters ahead of the general elections in 2022. We hope our commitment to ensure meaningful youth participation in the electoral cycle will ultimately be achieved.

The Youth Café works with young men and women around Africa as a trailblazer in advancing youth-led approaches toward achieving sustainable development, social equity, innovative solutions, community resilience, and transformative change.

Contact us for any comments or suggestions.