Campaign to achieve 100pct youth voter turnout in GE15 launched

 

Several youth groups have come together to launch the #Undi100Peratus campaign to achieve 100 percent youth voter turnout in the upcoming 15th general election (GE15).

The campaign, set up by Undi18, Architects of Diversity (AOD), and UndiNegaraku, also seeks to ensure youth voices are heard by political parties.

“With tense rumours of an upcoming election, it is of the utmost importance that young people begin to actively participate in Malaysia’s politics or risk being left behind.

“The recent dismal numbers of voter turnout, especially in the youth streams, should be an alarming signal to all, most especially to the political parties who are keen to bring forward a fresh perspective on politics,” said Undi18 co-founder Qyira Yusri.

In a statement, she said measures need to be taken to ensure young voters, especially those 18 to 21 who are now eligible to vote, are not only voicing their opinions on social media but heading to the ballot box.

The recent Johor state polls was the first election to see a new demographic of young voters, between 18 to 21 years old.

This brought the total number of voters in Johor to 2.5 million compared to 1.8 million voters during GE14 in 2018.

However, the elections saw a relatively low voter turnout of 1,426,573 people or 54.92 percent of total registered voters.

This was despite the addition of almost 750,000 voters, including 175,000 voters under 21.

New website, nationwide debates

A total of at least four million youth have been added to the voter rolls, the groups said.

This follows the constitutional amendments to lower the voting age and eligibility to contest at the federal level to 18 years old coming into effect today.

The amendment includes automatic voter registration for anyone above the age of 18.

Part of the campaign includes launching the website undi100.org as a platform to educate the youth on the country’s electoral system, a beginner’s guide to voting, as well as essential knowledge on current issues.

Youths are also encouraged to submit their demands and visions for Malaysia on the website.

Nationwide debates will also be conducted in the North, South, East Coast, Central, and Borneo regions to allow youths to debate about regional issues.

“#Undi100Peratus believes this will allow more political and social discourse among the youth in Malaysia and serve as the catalyst to shift the political discourse away from personality and identity politics, together with providing exposure towards the political and social landscape in Malaysia,” they added.

Undi18 also announced a nationwide recruitment of apprentices who will be tasked with educating and empowering local communities on the importance of voting. - Mkini