Youth voters dominate social media

May 12, 2015 News

…Urge others to ‘vote like a boss’
As Guyanese await the results of the 2015 general and regional elections with bated breath, youth voters seem to have a particular interest in this election and have taken to social media to show their pride in partaking in this year’s election.
Photos and status updates began popping up early Monday morning hours, – and sometimes mere minutes after polls opened across the country at 6:00am.
Whether they were from Linden, Georgetown, or the East Coast, youth voters showed that they had exercised their franchise by displaying their inked right index finger in photos.
Many used the opportunity to urge their fellow youths to get out and vote before polls closed at 6pm.
“Regardless of which party is declared the victor, this will be a success for electoral participation in Guyana, especially with young and old first-time voters coming out in their numbers,” one youth, Derwayne Wills, declared in a status update.
He continued, “I saw middle-aged people today who said this was their first time voting. One woman said she did it ‘Like a Boss!’ Ah loving it. Get out and vote people! Make this turn out a major one!”
Wills had returned to Guyana from Trinidad where he is studying, to vote. Other youths have indicated that they too have returned just to cast their votes.
“It’s what bosses do; it’s what people who want to control their futures do—people that will have a right to complain – it’s what they do. I made a smart choice. I voted,” another youth posted.
While most youths used social media to do some serious advocating, others chose to make some light-hearted humour while advocating at the same time.
“There should’ve been an ‘iVoted’ party tonight. Your inked finger being a ticket— lol. Go #VoteLikeABoss Guyana!” one young woman posted.
This year’s elections season has seen high participation by Guyana’s youths. In particular, a number of groups, including the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) and the Blue Caps, have been particularly vocal on the importance of youth in deciding the next government.
The groups have also been advocating for more youth participation and have launched a number of campaigns to encourage youths to vote. The “Vote Like A Boss” phrase has been the most popularly used slogan this year, following the launch of a campaign by the same name.
In fact, the GNYC has embarked on a competition which opened yesterday morning.
The competition is known as the “selfie with inky” where youth voters are urged to send in photos of their inked right index finger in front of their polling places.
Only last week, the group held a voter education fair and concert on Main Street to target the electorate.