Mobile phones are widely available, both in developed and developing countries. The number of mobile phone users in the world is expected to pass the 5 billion mark by 2019.[i]  We Are Social and Hootsuite (social media marketing agencies) reports reveal that in 2018 there are more than 4 billion people around the world using the internet; nearly a quarter of a billion new users came online for the first time in 2017. Africa has seen the fastest growth rates, with the number of internet users across the continent increasing by more than 20 percent per year.[ii]

Using text messages to increase voter turnout. Given the wide use of mobile phones, using text messaging to get more young people to polling stations is extremely efficient and cost-effective.

Example: In Norway, results from a pilot project in which selected voters in 27 municipalities received two text reminders before the 2015 election showed that sending out such reminders increased turnout among young people under the age of 30 by 5 percent, but had far less effect on the elderly.[iii]  One of the text messages was sent out before election day, while the second came on election day and gave information about the opening hours of polling stations.[iv] 

Example: In Liberia’s 2017 election, the Initiative for Democratic Alternatives conducted a project aimed at increasing voter turnout of youth on election day through the use of text messaging. It sent out multiple text messages e.g. number of days to elections, number of voting precincts, etc. with the slogan: Register, Vote and Cast a Ballot.[v] 

Text messaging is cost-effective. Research conducted after the November 2006 elections in the United States demonstrated the effectiveness of using text messages sent to mobile phones to mobilize young voters.[vi]  The study found that text message reminders to new voters increased an individual’s likelihood of voting by 4.2 percentage points. This option’s mobilization effect of 4–5 per cent was associated with a cost of only US$1.56 for each vote generated, which compared favorably to other, more costly means, as seen below: 

Text messages                US$1.56/vote
Phone calls                      US$20/vote
Door-to-door canvassing US$30/vote
Leafleting                       US$32/vote
Direct mail                      US$67/vote

Online tools for continued communication and advocacy. Avenues that ensure continued communication with the youth electorate are likely to build trust of young people in politics and help to transform political institutions into more open and inclusive institutions. Online platforms allow citizens to engage with their political leaders at community, municipal, provincial, and national levels by providing them with the opportunity to collaborate and openly share information, thereby bringing to the fore the power and agency of citizens to contribute to and influence political dialogue. 

Example: An interactive online platform introducing the Lebanese legislative process to youth was created on the parliament’s website. It allows youth/children and citizens at large to send inquiries and learn more about the parliament and its members.[vii] 

Example: In Germany, the Pirate Party created a continuous, real-time political forum in which every member has equal input on party decisions, and used LiquidFeedback, available as open-source software powering internet platforms, for proposition development and decision-making.[viii] LiquidFeedback helps groups (such as societies or organizations, political or not) make decisions without the limitations of a traditional internet forum. It aims to create an accurate representation of the opinions held by the members of the group without them being distorted by social hierarchies and knowledge disparities. Any of the 6,000 members who use the forum created by the Pirate Party can propose a policy. If a proposal picks up a 10 per cent quorum within a set period of time, it becomes the focus of an almost “gamified” revision period. Any member can also set up an alternative proposal, and over the ensuing few weeks these rival versions battle it out, with members voting their favorites up or down. 

Example: In the United States, the Countable app allows citizens to receive summaries of bills going through Congress, connect with representatives, share ideas, and take action (countable.us).