Helping first-time voters navigate democracy

Introduction

For many young Kenyans, their first election is also their first direct experience with formal democratic institutions.

The Coalition of Grassroots Human Rights Defenders Kenya wanted to understand what first-time voters knew, what they found confusing and what information they needed to participate confidently.

Through a WatchTower deployment, the Coalition created a way for young people to share their questions, experiences and concerns before and during the electoral period.

“I wanted to vote, but I was not sure what I was supposed to do when I got there.”

One question captures one person’s experience. But when similar questions emerge across different communities, they can reveal something more.

They can show where important civic information is unclear, difficult to access or not reaching people effectively.

Hearing what the numbers can miss

Voter registration numbers can tell us how many people are registered to vote. But they do not necessarily show whether first-time voters understand the electoral process or feel prepared to participate.

Young people can describe what they understand, what they find confusing and what information they need before taking part.

Community reporting creates another layer of insight, grounded in the questions and experiences of people navigating the electoral process for the first time.

How we listened

WatchTower was deployed with the Coalition of Grassroots Human Rights Defenders Kenya to make it easier for first-time voters to share their questions and experiences and for the Coalition to understand information needs across communities.

Reporting in familiar languages:

Young people could submit questions and experiences in languages they were comfortable using, making it easier to share what they understood and where they needed clarification.

Voice and text reporting:

Participants could submit reports through voice or text, giving them different ways to ask questions and describe their experiences.

Translation and organisation:

WatchTower helped transcribe, translate and organise questions and experiences from different communities so they could be understood together.

Connecting related reports:

Reports could be explored across location, topic and time, helping recurring questions and information gaps become easier to identify.

Privacy by design:

Personal information could be minimised or protected where participants were discussing sensitive political experiences.

A picture began to emerge

As reports accumulated, individual questions started to connect.

Related reports

117

Communities

21

Languages

5

Reporting period

6months

Where reports came from

Reports highlighted recurring questions around voter registration, polling procedures, political rights, candidate information, and participation.

Together, these reports helped the Coalition understand where first-time voters needed clearer or more accessible information.

From evidence to action

Listening is only useful if what communities share can inform what happens next.

The Coalition could use these insights to adapt civic education materials and focus information efforts on the questions first-time voters were actually asking.

The reports could also help identify differences in information needs across communities and languages.

Why it matters

Being registered to vote is only one part of democratic participation.

People also need accessible information about how democratic processes work and what to expect when they take part.

When first-time voters can ask questions in their own languages and those questions can be connected and understood together, community reporting can help organisations see where civic information is needed most.

WatchTower helps civic organisations listen to those information needs directly.