Pilkada 2024, Bekasi City Notes The Lowest Voter Participation In West Java

BANDUNG Bekasi City recorded the lowest voter participation rate in West Java in the 2024 Pilkada, with only 55.05% of voters present at the polling stations (TPS). This data was announced by the West Java General Elections Commission (KPU).

The commissioner of the Bekasi City KPU, Eli Ratnasari, said that various socialization efforts had been made to encourage community participation. However, the low number of attendance is more influenced by the saturation of the community towards elections.

"We have taken all the socialization steps. Low participation is not because we are not working, but the public may feel tired after the previous election and think there is no need to come to the TPS again," Eli said on Monday, December 9.

Eli highlighted the schedule for the 2024 Pilkada which is only one month after the presidential and legislative elections. This is considered to be one of the causes of the decline in public interest in returning to voting.

"The difference between elections should be longer. The president's inauguration alone takes place on Sunday, October 20, 2024, while the regional elections will be held this November. In my opinion, this distance is too close," he explained.

Based on data from the West Java KPU, Bekasi Regency recorded the second lowest level of participation, which was 66.75%. On the other hand, Pangandaran Regency became the area with the highest participation, reaching 78.42%.

Efforts to increase participation in the future are a challenge for the KPU and local governments, especially in the face of the phenomenon of increasing saturation of voters.