Jakarta, December 27, 2023 – Elections are a crucial part of the political process in democratic countries like Indonesia. Every Indonesian citizen who has reached the age of 17 is eligible to participate in the elections and cast their vote.

During each five-year electoral cycle, there is always a group of first-time voters, considered as novice voters, who need to be educated about election participation and the responsible use of their voting rights.

Coinciding with the upcoming political year in 2024, hundreds of scholarship awardees from the Education Fund Management Agency (LPDP) grouped under the PK-213 Askara Bhuwana cohort organized a seminar focused on election literacy.

The event titled "National Seminar Radiating from the Earth, Expanding to the Horizon towards 2024: Socializing the Enhancement of Wise and Dignified Participation of Novice Voters" took place on Tuesday, September 12th, at the Auditorium of SMKN 24 in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

The seminar aimed at high school students in the DKI Jakarta Province. Additionally, it was broadcasted online via YouTube to reach high school students nationwide.

PK-213 Askara Bhuwana explained that the goals of this initiative include providing understanding to novice voters, enhancing awareness and insights about elections, and serving as advocates encouraging the public to engage in peaceful and dignified elections through various communication channels.

This seminar featured competent speakers who provided valuable and insightful content. Among them were Hurriyah, S.Sos., I.M.A.S, the Executive Director of the Political Studies Center at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia; a representative from the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) DKI Jakarta, and Cakra Yudi Putra, the Head of Strategic Issues Division at the Mata Garuda Institute LPDP.

Approximately 300 participants, both in-person and online, attended this seminar aimed at socializing the electoral process for novice voters. They actively engaged by asking questions to the speakers during the sessions.

The three speakers addressed topics related to Indonesian elections, novice voters, the mechanics of vote counting, and the campaign process, which often involves misinformation, polarization, and the use of money in politics.

Aside from organizing the seminar, PK-213 also held a creative video competition regarding elections for young voters. Out of 21 participants, three winners were selected based on the most creative video content.

This initiative by PK-213 Askara Bhuwana is part of a series of tasks that scholarship awardees of LPDP must fulfill before commencing their studies at their respective campuses.

This social project took place after the seven-day preparation activity of the Pre-Departure Training. Each PK cohort is encouraged to determine activities for their social project aimed at the broader community.