The recent NSW council elections have left many young voters feeling under-informed and unprepared, raising concerns about the accessibility of election information and overall voter engagement in the local political process.
Thousands of residents of NSW aged 18 years and over headed to the voting polls for the first time, to elect their local councils for the next four years.
Clover Moore, Sydney’s Lord Mayor since 2004, achieved re-election for her sixth term in the title.
Young voters, however, were left feeling unprepared and uneducated when it came to casting their votes, and young voter Natalie Szafranek, 20, has said she was unaware there was even an election.
“I felt unprepared for the recent council election due to the information regarding the candidates and their specific platforms being quite limited,” Miss Szafranek stated.
“There was minimal coverage leading up to the election. I only knew to vote due to word-of-mouth from friends,
“In the past, I’ve found all my voting information on my news apps, via social media platforms or through friends and family. However, this time round all channels seemed as though they had limited information or if they did, it wasn’t necessarily a focal point.
“Definitely increasing media coverage via news channels and social media with in-depth information on what the election is for and outcomes of voting. Maybe sending letters, emails or SMS’s to anyone eligible to vote with details on all candidates and election information would improve voter education.”
For young and first-time voters the accessibility of election information didn’t seem to align with the platforms most commonly used by the young person demographic.
While social media was incorporated into each parties advocacy efforts, certain elements appeared to fall short in reaching all voters.
Young voter, Lily Kane, 21, said she had to vote last minute because she had no idea the vote was even happening and believes it was because she saw a lack of information about it on social media.
“I didn’t have information about who the candidates were or even know what to vote for really, and I just picked it random,” Miss Kane said.
“The media didn’t really reach me.”
Miss Kane has said she believes that political parties would benefit greatly from utilising social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok where younger demographics are finding most of their sources.
Young people can head to the NSW Electoral Commission website for any further information about any future elections taking place.
