Indonesia’s 2024 general election stands out due to the rise of civil society movements. These movements have emerged as a response to the increasing spread of hoaxes, political bots, and misinformation in the current election climate.
One notable civil society movement, particularly among the youth, is the website Bijak Memilih (Vote Wisely), initiated by Think Policy and What Is Up Indonesia.
The rise of various movements and community support for achieving greater integrity in elections and producing more rational voters has encouraged a UGM Student Creativity Program in Social Science and Humanities Research (PKM-RSH) team to research Bijak Memilih as a civil society movement.
They focus on how it provides election information and influences voters’ decision-making.
The research team consists of four students from the Faculty of Law, class of 2021: Putri Pertiwi, Destriananda Safa Aina, Fitria Amesti Wulandari, and Albert Suprayogi Ginting. Virga Dwi Efendi supervises their research.
“Our research was motivated by the numerous changes in this year’s election, one of which is the growing presence of independent civil society movements overseeing the elections. Therefore, we initiated a study on these movements, specifically focusing on the Bijak Memilih platform,” stated Putri Pertiwi, the team leader.
In their research, the PKM team focuses on the influence of election information on voter decision-making for the 2024 elections.
Specifically, their research examines the relationship between voter decision-making and the presentation of election information, such as presidential and vice-presidential candidates, legislative candidates, political parties, and more, provided by Bijak Memilih.
The research focuses on three main areas: Bijak Memilih’s role in presenting election information, reducing fake news, and impacting voters’ decision-making in the 2024 elections.
These three research focuses were then categorized into several survey questions based on four quality indicators of information according to Hall: relevance, accuracy, timeliness, and completeness. The survey was conducted among respondents from May to July 2024.
The survey revealed that 83.16% of the 120 respondents found the information provided by Bijak Memilih relevant. The Bijak Memilih initiative team confirmed this, stating that the platform is designed to facilitate access to all election-related information.
Secondly, 83.66% of respondents stated that all information on the Bijak Memilih platform is accurate. The Bijak Memilih initiative team confirmed that before data or facts are published on the platform, they are fact-checked from various sources to ensure all information is credible and objective.
Thirdly, 85.98% of respondents stated that the information provided by Bijak Memilih is timely, and 79.06% said that the information on the Bijak Memilih website is complete.
Hall argues that when information meets these four indicators, it can serve as a basis for decision-making.
One respondent interviewed on Thursday, June 27, mentioned, “Bijak Memilih played a role in my decision-making. I was confused about who to vote for during the last election as it was my first time voting.”
Field findings showed that 83.54% strongly agree that Bijak Memilih’s presence helps minimize the potential spread of fake news, the expansion of public opinion manipulation, and black campaigns.
The team behind Bijak Memilih commented that they position themselves as constituents who determine and review incoming information for various parties.
Seeing the significant impact of civil society’s role in overseeing the 2024 elections and providing various information, the PKM-RSH team hopes that civil society movements will continue to develop to create a democratic environment in Indonesia.
Author: Lazuardi Choiri