Facebook propels civic engagement with 'Register to Vote'

Tool would arouse interest among 'Facebook friends' which would consequently spark off conversation on voting and elections

A new application on social media platform Facebook that is designed to get voters to discuss and eventually get excited and motivated enough to vote by putting peer group pressure has been launched ahead of the 2014 general elections.

The idea is akin to the ‘adda’ that is very common in West Bengal.
 
Called “Register to Vote,” to access the feature, one needs to log into his/ her Facebook page, then go to the Timeline and move to the drop down menu of ‘Life Event’, then ‘Travel and Experiences’ which leads to ‘Register to Vote’.

The tool is aimed to generate “peer pressure” by which users who display it on their pages would then arouse interest among their “Facebook friends” which would consequently spark off a conversation on voting and elections. It aspires to encourage and cajole users to go out and actually vote on election day.

“This initiative is aimed at deepening the civic engagement of Facebook users,” says a company representative. As a beginning, users can share ‘status updates’ and ‘individual stories’ on voter registration by posting it on their Timelines.

Studies and surveys have reported that people spend 25% of their time online on social media sites, but evidence of the impact of social media was visible during the Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement which started off in the capital but gradually spread throughout the country.

While this would be a first of its kind engagement for Facebook in India, it has already implemented this before in the US and Australia during the Presidential elections in 2012 and the federal elections in 2013 respectively.

In Australia for instance, to ensure greater youth enrolment in electoral rolls, the Australian Electoral Commission tied up with Facebook through its app ‘Youth Votes Matter’. In the US, users talked about preferences of candidates on their profiles on Facebook which led to pre-poll surveys on voting choices. They also used the app “I Voted” post the election indicating whom they voted for. Washington state took online enrolment a step further by allowing voters to formally register to vote via Facebook.

While India (where only 12% of the population has access to the internet), still has a long way to go, the 2014 elections mark a departure from earlier polls. All stakeholders recognise the power of the social media and the role that it will play in these polls where 120 million first time voters above the age of 18 will be taking part.

Political parties, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are hiring specialised agencies to manage and handle their social media presence. The Congress has even launched ‘Khidkee’, an initiative that is similar to Facebook albeit for its own party cadres to log in and discuss issues.

While Facebook app ‘Register to Vote’ is just in its initial stages, more features could be added on as the 2014 election draws near.