Broad issues such as disengagement from or distrust of the electoral process and lack of political awareness can affect the turnout of youth voters. Practical barriers, such as the following factors, can also increase the likelihood of young people not taking part in electoral processes: 

• complex administrative procedures to obtain required ID documents
• long distances to travel to vote
• unfavorable opening hours of voting stations during work and school hours.

Notwithstanding the fact that in some cases youth are the most mobile segment of a society, and even sometimes because of this fact, many youth, especially from marginalized groups, face access barriers to electoral processes. Young people that are transitioning into adulthood are often moving between households and employment or study locations.

In many contexts, young women and young persons with disabilities are facing particular challenges to cast their votes such as cultural norms that prescribe that women should not be involved in politics or that politics is the domain of men; concerns about the safety of journeys to voting centers and security there; illiteracy levels that are still disproportionally high among women, among other hurdles.

To counter youth-specific obstacles to voting, EMBs should explore different options to engage youth voters and make voting more convenient during elections, including:

• suitable numbers of well-located voting stations, with clear information on their whereabouts and opening times. Consider extended opening hours for improved accessibility
• voting stations that create a sense of energy, community, and engagement. Australian polling stations hold sausage sizzles (coined “democracy sausages”) – a tradition on election days
• first-time voters: voting for the first-time can be intimidating, so ensure messaging conveys that voting is easy, and that help is available
• early voting (advance polling or pre-poll voting), enabling voters to lodge their vote prior to election day
• multiple voting days to provide more flexibility about when to vote (although the disadvantages to this include increased potential for electoral fraud and increased costs to staff).
• absentee voting, allowing young voters to present at different polling stations if they work or study away from their usual voting district
• designated voting days, where elections are scheduled on a national holiday or a weekend, to maximize voter turnout. In Australia, where voting is compulsory, employers must give their employees time off work to vote on election day
• effective “how to” electoral materials at voting stations that help to educate youth voters on the mechanics of voting and assist them in the voting process
• voting stations on university campuses or in youth centers to make voting convenient and easy for young voters 

Example: In 2015, Elections Canada set up 17 temporary polling stations at 39 university and college campuses, 13 at Aboriginal Friendship Centers and two at youth community centers in urban areas.[i] 

Example: In the US, the Voter Friendly Campus program was launched in 2016 to help universities and institutions develop plans to coordinate administrators, faculty, and student organizations in civic and electoral engagement. It was launched to counter the declining level of student voters, and to develop strategies to mitigate the barriers to voting that exist for many US students.

Example: The electoral commission in Botswana responded to the numerous challenges young people identified, such as the long queues they faced during elections, by introducing help desks, which were managed by youth, at voting stations during the 2014 elections. The name of the voter was checked against the voters roll and the voter informed of the page number before proceeding to vote, facilitating a smoother flow.[ii]

Pre-election, EMBs may also consider targeted strategies to connect with and educate young voters, incorporating ideas from the following list.

•  Outreach campaigns for first-time voters celebrate voting as a rite of passage. These could include a letter and education material from EMBs or governments with education material and information on how to register and vote.
• Education program for young voters, within schools and elsewhere, can cover the role and purpose of elections in democracies, the election process itself, how to vote, and the rights and responsibilities of voters.
• Communication campaigns designed to appeal to young voters can use: online platforms; multimedia channels, including radio, television, and print; artistic and cultural programs, using concerts, music, plays, and street theatre.
• Other mechanisms to inform young voters include: information centers, telephone hotlines, advertising campaigns using billboards and advertising on transport, direct mailouts, and employment of youth ambassadors.   
• Social media and apps can reach young voters who use these as a primary source of communication and information. For example, in the US, the app TurboVote keeps members updated with elections and voting requirements across all US states. It sends reminders when voters need to register and vote, and it can assist with absentee votes.

Example: In the lead-up to the 2017 general elections in Kenya, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) deployed a dynamic youth outreach strategy to achieve peaceful participation and increase youth voter turnout. “Youth Vote” (YVOTE) was a digital media and face-to-face outreach initiative to educate, engage, and motivate young people. It was also designed to bring young people into active roles in governance and improve accessibility of voter information to help youth make informed choices. Peace messages were disseminated throughout the campaign’s digital ads and on-the-ground activities. The face-to-face campaign reached over 100,000 people and the digital campaign reached over 1.1 million people.[iii] See Annex: IFES Case Study – YVOTE Public Affairs Campaign. 

Example: In Tunisia, the UNDP applied a variety of innovative tools to reach out to youth prior to the 2011 elections. These included an election song, “Enti Essout” (“You Are the Voice”), which achieved more than 100,000 free downloads. Additionally, a voter education game, “DemocraTweet,” aimed to mobilize youth in partnership with Tunisia’s leading radio station, Radio Mosaique FM. It was played by 10,000 people over three weeks. Three voter education campaigns focused on registration, late-voter registration, and voter mobilization, including through media messages and billboards. The campaign reached out to illiterate and rural youth. The awareness of young people about the electoral process increased and voter turnout was 76 per cent.[iv] 

Example: The TurboVote Challenge is a project of Democracy Works, a non-partisan, non-profit organization based in the US. The TurboVote Challenge uses partners to encourage their employees, customers, and communities to participate in elections, making it easier for them to do so. See Annex: 2016 TurboVote Challenge Partner Implementation Examples. 

Other incentive and Inducements 

Example: In Japan, some restaurants and shops provide discount coupon if the voters who have voted and can show the evidence of their having voted, are given an ‘election discount’ as a way to promote turnout.[v] 

Example: In the US, an experiment was conducted to see whether young people who “pledge to vote” are more likely to turn out to vote. This experiment was testing psychological theories of political behaviour, exploring whether making commitments to follow through and perform a certain activity actually results in activity being carried out. Making the commitment indeed increased voter turnout in the experiment conducted. The experiment has interesting implications for voter turnout mobilization efforts.[vi]

Providing funds to youth-based CSOs is also a practical way of supporting youth engagement. EMBs could provide competitions for micro grants/awards for youth to develop their own awareness campaigns, for example. This builds skills that youth can apply to their future careers, and at the same time contributes to electoral processes.