Global Journal of Human Social Science, C: Sociology and Culture, Volume 23 Issue 2

Can e-voting Improve Youth Voter Turnout?: Experiences from the Kenya 2022 General Elections Peter Gutwa Oino α , Samuel Mong’are σ & George Aberi ρ Abstract- Over the years, many youths have been targeted by politicians for votes in general elections due to their large numbers. However, they (youths) have always scored dismally in terms of turning up to elect leaders of their choice in various political positions. Existing voting patterns have shown that the majority of the youth participate in political campaigns, both on social media platforms and in the field, but rarely in the voting process. Notwithstanding, the numerous civic education campaigns organized to foster voter registrations prior to elections, less than 60% of the youth turn up for registration as voters. Using Roger Hart (1992) conceptual model on level of participation, and the normative democracy theory, this paper used a critical review of existing literature, interviews, and observations for the just concluded 2022 Kenya’s general elections. We examine how e-voting can be employed as a strategy to influence the youths’ voting processes, during general elections. Document analysis and interviews were done and the findings are presented in the inform of narratives and excerpts. Authors conclude that young people’s active inclusion in political process spaces, especially in e-voting is not only a socio-economic imperative, but also key to preserving a stable economy and building peace. This in turn has a bearing on their wellbeing and the general development of their country. The paper recommends that there is need to engage the youth at a young age, in order to build trust and transparency between generations - and between citizens and their government. There is need for further research on how best to implement the e-voting system in Kenya, and get the assurance that the system will be trusted and be user friendly. Keywords: e-voting, voting culture, youth, democracy, general elections, Kenya. I. I ntroduction lections are a central component of democratic societies. Globally, political and electoral processes show that the tradition of regular elections has been established, albeit ambivalent, in terms of the elections’ quality. Petitpas, Jaquet and Sciarini (2021) note that the youth are faced with the steady decline in electoral turnout, about which politicians and scholars recommend new communication technologies as possible remedies. With nearly half of the world’s total population being 25 years or younger, the current youth generation of approximately 3 billion is becoming one of the most influential populations in history. However, although official voter turnout figures are not consistently available from electoral authorities across regions, data collected by surveys conducted in different regions are sketching a discouraging picture (Dezelan, 2015). The 2016 UN World Youth report on “Youth Civic Engagement,” reveals that voter turnout has decreased in all democracies, since the 1980s and that the turnout decline is concentrated among the youth (UNDP, 2014). Survey results from a sample of 33 countries indicate that close to 44% of young adults aged 18–29 “always vote,” compared with almost 60% of all citizens (UNDESA, 2016). The corresponding rate is more than 70% among those over the age of 50. Electronic Voting (e-voting) is a process of casting votes, counting, and issuing results by means of Information and Communication Technology (henceforth ICT) (Adeshina & Ojo, 2017). Voting processes from the registration stage, pre-voting and voting, verification of results and counting of results are processed through ICT. This can be national, provincial or municipal elections. With the use of e-voting, the country stands to achieve improved participation and electoral management, faster vote count and reliable election results (Avgerou, Masiero, & Poulymenakou, 2019; Goretta et al. 2018). In 2010, there was an estimate of between 795-1469 implementations of e-voting around the world, compared to 2 700 in 2013 (Zolotov, Oliveira, & Casteleyn, 2018; Shat & Pimenidis, 2017). E-voting can make the voting process convenient and accessible to the youth, thereby improving youth participation (Schaupp & Carter, 2005; Arshad, 2015). Participation of young people in formal political and electoral processes is relatively low and many of them exercise power outside of formal electoral processes, in situations of social and economic exclusion and difficulty. Little is done, however, to specifically target young people and build their confidence in formal democratic electoral systems, as a vehicle for political renewal. Even though there are varied reasons for the low levels of participation by young people, Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) have a crucial role to play in advancing the inclusion of youth in electoral processes and in the structures of political representation. The rapid increase in the adoption of the internet in developing countries and the growth of citizen-centric e-government technologies have parked interest in electronic voting (e-voting) systems. E-voting systems enable voters to participate in elections remotely, using internet-based technologies. In their study covering the period 2005–2015 on Estonia and Switzerland, Vassil et al. (2016) noted that E © 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue II Version I 61 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 C Corresponding Author α : Kisii University, Kenya. e-mail: oinogutwae@gmail.com