Citizen political participation
requires an enabling legal environment, one that includes social and political
freedoms guaranteed in democracies. In autocratic, developing and/or
politically fragile countries, civic space is shrinking; there are an
increasing number of countries restricting civic engagement by enacting laws
that restrict freedom of expression and movement. This has a serious impact on
citizen participation in political and electoral processes, especially for
youth, who often use non-formal methods of participation, such as activism.
Restrictions on expression, assembly
and association limit the freedom of citizens to demonstrate peacefully, to
engage in political dialogue, and to criticize politicians and candidates. The
ability to share and access information and to document human rights abuses or
irregularities in governmental and election processes, is fundamental to a
healthy democracy. However, in the name of protecting their citizens against
threats to their security, governments frequently limit access to information,
and in the most extreme cases, cut off internet services entirely.
Researchers have documented an
increasing number of countries that have been suspected of or have blocked
access to internet during elections. Additionally, some electoral commissions
have asked phone companies to block more than a dozen social media outlets.
Since young people are particularly active on social media, they are
disproportionally impacted by any attempt to block these outlets.
As they occupy the civic and
political space with their online and offline forms of activism, many young
people, who would otherwise try to keep governments, corporations and other
state and non-state organizations accountable, are unable to do so.
