Pakistan: Vote First

As a lead up to the 2018 general elections in Pakistan, The Asia Foundation supported the outreach campaign Voters Education and Engagement Program – Vote First (#VoteFirst). Through this initiative, the Foundation educated citizens about their constitutional right to vote and its importance in strengthening the democratic process.

‘Vote First’ used platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share positive messages through videos, pictures and illustrations, encouraging citizens to vote. The campaign aimed to persuade first-time voters, especially women and the youth, to head out to the polls and also outlined the process of voting. The Foundation engaged citizens at the community level by forming a hundred community “village action groups” across ten districts of Punjab and Sindh. These comprised of citizens from diverse socio-economic, political and ethnic backgrounds. The groups were provided technical support through civic education trainings and given access to Computerized National Identity Cards to enable them to register as voters.

A few days prior to the election day, a carnival was also held in Islamabad in coordination with the Election Commission of Pakistan. It included a range of theatrical performances as well as a mock voting exercise to provide attendees a detailed orientation of the voting procedure. The function was attended by citizens, members of civil society organizations and representatives of political parties.