Beginner Voters' Participation in the 2019 Election in Semarang

摘要

Beginner voters, consisting of millions of young people, are potential voters. They highly contributed to the victory of candidates in the 2019 simultaneous elections and helped to maintain robust and democratic governance. The level of participation of beginner voters in Semarang and its affecting factors are worthy of being studied. Therefore, this current study aims to examine this issue using a legislative and conceptual approach. Beginner voters seem to have unique characteristics and face external conditions that may affect their participation. Some of the conditions include unstable emotion and lack of political knowledge, which may influence their political preference. For instance, their political choice may be influenced by the popularity of candidates who are also their peers' idols. Likewise, administrative and political issues may influence the political participation of beginner voters. Thus, serious efforts need to be made to increase beginner voters' participation in general elections as a manifestation of the people's sovereignty.