By: Vina Gunawan*
Active participation from first-time voters is very important in order to successfully hold the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) so that the series of democratic parties in Indonesia can run safely and smoothly.
In order to increase voter participation, the General Election Commission (KPU) must intensively carry out outreach in certain areas such as disaster-prone areas, conflict areas, coastal areas, island areas and areas with low voter turnout. After conducting outreach in certain areas, outreach will then be carried out to first-time voters who are considered to play an important role in the success of holding the 2024 regional elections.
In preparation for the 2024 Regional Head Election (Pilkada), Voter Data Updating (Pantarlih) officers moved quickly and took the initiative to register data on citizens in various regions of Indonesia. This activity is carried out to ensure that every citizen who has the right to vote is recorded on the permanent voter list even though they face various challenges, ranging from residents who are difficult to find to residents who change their domicile.
Public enthusiasm for this data collection process also appears to be quite high. In fact, many residents voluntarily provided the required information and welcomed the presence of the Pantarlih officers. This shows public awareness of the importance of participation in the 2024 Pilkada. With increasingly intensive data collection, it is hoped that the 2024 Pilkada can run more smoothly and voter participation will continue to increase. It is also hoped that the success of this data collection will reduce the potential for election disputes related to the voter list.
Meanwhile, the District KPU. Penajam Paser Utara (PPU) is targeting the figure in the 2024 regional elections to reach 83 percent. This is in accordance with the achievements of the 2024 elections where the voter participation rate at that time reached 83 percent. District KPU Commissioner. PPU, Aris said that the percentage of voters for the 2024 regional elections must be equivalent to last February’s elections. This can be seen from the current trend of increasing community participation.
To achieve this target, Aris said that his party would intensify outreach to elements that play an important role in society in the near future. Not only that, the District KPU. PPU will also socialize with community figures such as Community Organizations (Ormas) to youth communities. They also socialize among the community in crowded places such as ports, markets and others. Nevertheless, the District KPU. PPU does not give up attention to people with disabilities and will continue to carry out special outreach to these communities.
Then, the District KPU. Sumbawa, NTB continues to carry out outreach regarding the Pilkada with the main target being first-time voters who are high school students. Coordinator of the Division of Socialization, Voter Education, Public Relations and Human Resources of the District KPU. Sumbawa, Heri Kurniawansyah said that his party was focusing on conducting outreach among high school students. Apart from that, his party is also carrying out outreach in certain areas by maximizing relevant stakeholders. In this case, the KPU involves the Village Government, District Government, Babinsa, and Bhabinkamtibmas. All related parties are involved as partners to provide voter education to the community.
Meanwhile, the South Gowa KPU continues to strive to increase the participation of first-time voters in the 2024 Pilkada through the democracy cafe which is a hangout place for young people which is used as a location for socialization for the 2024 Pilkada. South Gowa KPU Commissioner, Voter Education Socialization Division (Parmas), Suardi M said that The democracy cafe program targets first-time voters so that more people will exercise their right to vote in the 2024 regional elections. This program hopes that young voters will be able to vote honestly and fairly.
The increase in first-time voters can also be seen from the increase in the number of people making e-KTPs in the district. Pesawaran, Lampung in May-June 2024. This increase occurred ahead of the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections and was dominated by students. Head of Population Registration Services Division (Kabid), Population and Civil Registration Service (Disdukcapil) District Government. Pesawaran, Tommi Fernando said that in facing the increase in the production of e-KTPs, the Pesawaran Dukcapil Office had ensured that the forms were sufficient. According to him, 250 e-KTPs are produced in one day, and by June 2024 2,569 copies have been printed. This increase is dominated by students or young people who want to vote ahead of the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections.
On another occasion, the Blitar City KPU held the launch of the Election for Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Blitar in Blitar Square. Blitar City KPU presented artist Denny Caknan as a guest star to entertain the people of Blitar City. Chairman of the Blitar City KPU, Rangga Bisma Aditya, said that Denny Caknan was chosen as the main guest star because he had a big influence on young voters in Blitar City, which amounted to 120,218 voters from the total number of Potential Election Voter Population Lists (DP4). With the presence of Denny Caknan, the Blitar City KPU hopes to increase the number of public participation in the 2024 regional election voting which will take place on November 27 2024.
Active participation from first-time voters is very important because it can make the implementation of the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections a success. With routine outreach activities carried out by the Government and related parties in various regions, it is hoped that young voters can carry out voting honestly and fairly based on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, thereby creating a democratic party. quality.
*The author is a Papuan student living in Yogyakarta