Informing and Engaging Voters – A Regional Perspective on Challenges and Opportunities to Increase Voter Turnout
When
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About
As part of the Support to Electoral Reforms in the Western Balkans project, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will organize the conference “Informing and Engaging Voters – A Regional Perspective on Challenges and Opportunities to Increase Voter Turnout”, to explore the factors influencing voter turnout, focusing on strategies to increase participation.
Engaging and informing voters is crucial to increasing voter turnout. When citizens are actively engaged, they feel more connected to the electoral process and motivated to participate. High participation rates demonstrate the electorate’s engagement in political processes. Conversely, low turnout can weaken democratic legitimacy, deepen social divides and increase vulnerability to manipulation.
The event will be structured in presentations and exchanges in five major areas:
- The significance of voter turnout – A general introduction outlining the importance of high voter turnout in safeguarding democratic processes. Focus will be placed on the key actors responsible for fostering voter engagement, including government bodies, civil society and political parties, while highlighting the implications of low participation.
- Online election campaigning – An exploration of the impact of online campaigns, including the use of social networks and artificial intelligence on voter turnout. The session will review relevant standards, principles and regulations, focusing on whether digital strategies are increasing voter engagement or contributing to new challenges.
- Political advertising – An analysis of the influence of political advertising on voter behavior and turnout. The session will address necessary regulatory frameworks to prevent misinformation, voter manipulation and/or a decline in voter turnout.
- Challenges and successes in increasing voter turnout for underrepresented groups – A discussion on the challenges and successful examples of increasing voter turnout among underrepresented groups. The session will explore structural, social and political barriers that these groups face and highlight best practices to overcome these obstacles.
- Addressing barriers to voter registration – An exploration of the obstacles that hinder voter registration across the region. The sessions will discuss how to overcome barriers disproportionately affecting certain demographic groups, leading to lower voter turnout and potential disenfranchisement.
The conference aims to achieve the following outcomes: a comprehensive report documenting the main challenges, discussions, and recommendations of practical solutions and policy proposals for governments and electoral bodies to enhance voter turnout and inclusivity; increased regional co-operation by strengthening collaboration among stakeholders to address voter engagement challenges collectively; and follow-up initiatives by developing concrete projects and action plans to implement the recommendations discussed during the conference.
It will be the eighth regional event organized by the the Support to Electoral Reforms in the Western Balkans project, which supports the region in the efforts to follow-up on electoral recommendations in the areas of election administration, voter registration, media coverage of elections, campaign and campaign finance and election dispute resolution, in order to bring the conduct of elections closer in line with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections. It complements regular ODIHR activities and allows for the provision of intensified and more in-depth support. Furthermore, it supports existing reform mechanisms that involve civil society and other relevant stakeholders and focuses on engaging underrepresented groups, including women, national minorities and persons with disabilities.
Participants
- Election management bodies
- Oversight bodies
- Media regulators
- Journalists associations
- Civil society organizations, including citizen election observation groups
- Local and international experts
Registration
Participation in this event is by invitation only.
Contact
For further information, please contact the Support to Electoral Reforms in the Western Balkans project team at wb-project@odihr.pl.