Ahead of the simultaneous regional elections which will be held at the end of 2020, the General Election Commission is increasingly carrying out voter education outreach. Especially for beginner and young voters, whose numbers are greater than other voters. The Buleleng Regency KPU also carried out outreach, in collaboration with the largest campus in North Bali. This socialization in the form of a webinar involved the Chair of the Bali Province General Election Commission, I Dewa Agung Gede Lidartawan, S.TP., M.P, and Undiksha academic Dr. I Wayan Widiana, M.Pd. Several student representatives participated in this webinar.
On that occasion, Lidartawan conveyed several mechanisms that would change during the regional elections. Starting from a campaign system that no longer uses billboards but uses social media accounts registered with the KPU. Through this account, it is hoped that candidates can display their profile, vision and mission, superior programs, and so on. According to Lidartawan, campaigns using billboards are no longer effective with interest levels below 5% plus the costs are quite large. Apart from that, about election places, Lidartawan explained that election places will be stressed due to Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Widiana as an Undiksha academic emphasizes the essence of elections and politics. According to him, politics is a part and journey of life, don’t be allergic to politics, don’t think that politics is for certain groups, now politics belongs to society. Politics is not bad but it is the people who sit there who cause it. Seeing this condition, it is time for us to improve, “I hope the younger siblings will be sitting there later,” said Widiana.
Widiana as a parent on campus also reminded the webinar participants that they were one of the voters who were very lucky to be able to get information directly from the Chair of the Bali KPU. There will be many changes that are difficult for non-millennial people to follow, so this is the role of young voters to provide socialization to the community. As intellectuals, be a critical voter, don’t be a voter who follows along and has no rationality. Stay abstain, the abstention rate is high because of the public’s low understanding of the importance of elections. Most people consider elections to be a normal thing, “elections are an important part, abstaining from abstention does not mean exercising our absolute right. Our absolute right is to vote,” stressed Widiana.
To be an intelligent voter, you must have knowledge of information that can be searched conventionally or online. Looking for information on online media is a common thing for young people, but what you have to pay attention to is the existence of hoax information. Widiana believes her students can choose information that is not a hoax and convey the truth to the public.
Widiana added that students can convey their choices openly and privately. Open during the campaign and closed when in the voting booth. This is different from state servants who can only convey their choices behind closed doors. Widiana also invited students not to vote based on the lure of money and radical views. What young voters can do is monitor the vote count, not abstain, and be responsible for their choices, including taking part in this socialization. What was witnessed and heard was a form of participation which was the first step for 2020. Even though Buleleng did not have regional elections, the students who took part as participants were spread from all over Bali. Changes in Indonesia, Bali, and Buleleng can be made if we all participate. “Whatever the result, we must support it and no longer think that what we have done is not right. “I hope that you can echo the movement to exercise our right to vote,” said Widiana.
In the discussion session, a student from the Guidance and Counseling study program, Undiksha Faculty of Education, conveyed his question aimed at the Chairman of the Bali KPU. question about why not use e-voting. The chairman of the Bali KPU responded that currently there are no regulations for e-voting, there is a high possibility of being hacked, and there is no database if someone complains. He also provided a comparison with Germany which switched from e-voting to manual. Lindartawan recommends e-counting to facilitate the vote-counting process.
At the end of the discussion, the Chair of the Bali KPU hoped that Wayan Widiana and Undiksha would encourage a movement to reject money politics. Moreover, if a student reports that money politics is found, they will not hesitate to give him an award.
