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

The challenge is how to get both groups to vote, but for the latter group the first hurdle is to identify and include them on the voter list/register. In some countries, most notably, the United States and Kenya, the responsibility to register as a voter rests on the individual. On their part, the electoral authorities assume responsibility for compiling and maintaining the voters list, doing door-to- door enumeration, which must be done periodically to encourage more individuals to register. In the Kenyan case, the country is considered a nation of the youth, with those under 35 years comprising 75% of the country’s 47.6 million population (Population and Housing Census, 2019). In August 2022 general elections, the number of Kenyan voters aged between 18-35 that registered to vote dropped by 5.27% compared to 2017 (IEBC, 2022). This is even after 22.1 million voters registered for Kenya’s general polls up from 19.6 million five years ago. Of these numbers, only 39.84% of those voters were the youth. Despite promises from both candidates on economic liberation for the youth should either one win in the August polls, the low number of young registered voters provides evidence of skepticism. The fall in registration among young people reflected a wider pattern of voter apathy among Kenyans, especially the youth. In the run-up to the 2022 elections, the country’s electoral agency added just 2.5 million voters to the register, against a target of six million. This included those who had turned 18, since the country’s last census in 2019. During our interview with selected youths in Kisii and Uasin Gishu Counties, respectively, the youths blame the low figures on economic hardships facing them and worsening cases of corruption. This has made them to lose hope in the electoral processes in the country. In this context, for instance, an interviewee reiterated that “I did not register because I was busy looking for money to take care of my two children, politicians will not feed my family.” Another youth argued that “ after being voted in, some leaders disappear and don't perform the role they promised. ” More interesting was the remark “ there is no need for me to go, parade and register myself as a voter then vote for a person who won't be elected because the leader has already been predetermined ” From the above evidence, it is clear that there is a growing sense of betrayal among most Kenyans, especially the youth, who feel that politicians increasingly use them as collateral damage in the wake of personal re-invention and self- preservation. Notice that politicians promise the youth great things every five years, which they hardly endeavor to fulfil. That is, politicians use their positions to misuse public resources, sponsor violence and violate the rule of law. ii Politics of Promises and Handouts From the views and opinions of youths interviewed, it was revealed that some young people can only vote if they are given money. ”I only attend rallies to get money…and if they pay me, then I can go to vote during the elections," Another youth said that… "I have only come to the rally because there is money. I hope there will be something. " These utterances are indicative of the widespread Kenyan practice of offering freebies to prospective voters. In this respect, for instance, Kenya's current Minister for Internal Security, Dr. Fred Matiang'i even told news reporters on Wednesday that the banks were running short of 100 and 200 shilling notes, "because politicians are bribing villagers". Politicians give money to lure the youth to vote, but this hasn’t worked in Kenya and the main question is: ‘will this ever work?’ For instance, a presidential aspirant said: “ If I win the presidency, my administration will make available KSh. 50bn ($425,000) for loans to young entrepreneurs. “The coming government will be for the youth, the hustlers.” To counter this, his opponent promised to give a monthly stipend of Ksh 6000, to the single mothers and jobless people in the country, while another presidential candidate convinced the youth to vote him in because he would help to legalize bhang (cannabis) farming in Kenya. Despite all these promises, there was low turnout by the youth during the Elections Day. Moreover, politicians have responded by offering cash, umbrellas, shirts, caps and even packets of maize flour among other things, in the name of convincing young people to vote for them. In this context, the African Union and COMESA election observers attributed the low youth participation to the youth unemployment and poverty, lack of trust and confidence in the political system, and the general conception that their votes do not count in elections, (theeastafrican.co.ke, August 14 2022). iii Voting Technologies Existing studies revealed that e-voting facilitates the voting act, by reducing the time and effort required to participate (Kenski 2005; Gainous and Wagner 2007; Powell et al., 2012). Such electoral reforms decrease the direct and objective costs of voting (Berinsky, 2005), and also help to decrease the perceived costs of voting (Blais et al., 2019). In Kenya, the 2022 general elections faced the lowest youth voter turnout compared to the last three general elections. In this context, more than 14 million persons cast their votes, in 46,229 polling stations across the country, with the Central region, which has the highest population, recording the lowest turnout. The drop in numbers was blamed on lack of voter education, low interest by the youth, reduced trust and confidence in the political system, poverty and youth unemployment. Some foreign observers regretted that the low turnout was worrying for Kenya, whose electoral processes were largely transparent compared with other African countries. The question that remains to be answered, however, is “Can e-voting turn around things? From the perspective of the © 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue II Version I 64 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 C Can e-voting Improve Youth Voter Turnout?: Experiences from the Kenya 2022 General Elections