The Roles of New Voters Towards National Elections in Malaysia

Chu Wenxuan; Mohd Nizam Osman

doi:10.47405/mjssh.v8i6.2365

Chu Wenxuan Communication Department, Faculty of Modern Language and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400 UPM, Selangor, Malaysia.
Mohd Nizam Osman Communication Department, Faculty of Modern Language and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400 UPM, Selangor, Malaysia.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v8i6.2365

Keywords: General Elections., Young Voters, Malaysia, Roles of New Voters

Abstract

In 2022, Malaysia held the 15th General Election (GE15), which allowed new voters to participate in voting for the first time. The research objective of this study is to explore the role of new voters in GE15. To achieve this objective, this study used the qualitative research method to conduct 2 focus group discussions on 7 Selangor’s new voters, aged between 22 and 24, with bachelor's degrees. They are 3 Malays, 2 Malaysian Chinese, and 2 Malaysian Indians. This research utilized NVIVO12 for thematic analysis of data. The findings show that Informants believe that they play many roles in GE15, they mainly support democracy, change politics, influence politics, promote political participation, and fulfill responsibilities and obligations. In addition, Informants believe that their votes have a significant influence on the political situation, mainly influencing the economy, influencing politics, and promoting democracy. These findings emphasize the role and influence of new voters in Malaysia’s politics, and emphasize the importance of democracy, diversity, and government attention to public opinion.

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