LAHORE: The message conveyed to the younger generation during a PILDAT briefing session for the media on the topic of absent young voters was an encouragement for them to actively participate in the electoral process by casting their votes for their preferred political parties on Election Day.
Commencing the discussion, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President of PILDAT, emphasized that despite constituting a substantial portion of registered voters, young Pakistanis (aged 18 to 35) exhibit a voter turnout that falls behind the national average.
In 2023, young registered voters, aged between 18-35, account for 43.85% of the total registered voters. Despite being a significant demographic in Pakistan’s population, the gap between overall voter turnout and youth voter turnout has ranged from 7 percentage points in 1993 to 27 percentage points in 2013, with an increasing trend. The only exception was the 2018 general election when this gap narrowed to 16.5 percentage points.
PILDAT estimates that the average youth voter turnout in the past eight elections, from 1988 to 2018, has been alarmingly low at 31%, which is 13 percentage points lower than the average overall voter turnout of 44% in these eight elections. The average youth voter turnout (31.5%) was even lower than women’s voter turnout, which stood at 40% in 2018.
Mehboob added that people’s skepticism about the electoral system has intensified due to economic challenges and the peak of terrorist activities. This has made them resilient but still skeptical about the effectiveness of their participation in the electoral process.
PILDAT believes that key societal pillars, including political entities, media outlets, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), should adopt practical strategic measures to actively engage young people in the voting process. Other speakers at the event included Mujib-ur-Rehman Shami, Ms. Benazir Shah, and Salman Ghani.
Various participants highlighted that in the current electoral environment, security agencies are actively emphasizing the threat of terrorism to discourage people from voting. Additionally, the infrequent availability of the internet would affect access and transparency on Election Day. Aasiya Riaz, Joint Director of PILDAT, moderated the discussion.
