As excitement builds up around the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, social media platforms are playing an increasingly significant role in shaping electoral processes.

From direct voter engagement to information dissemination, more and more people are taking advantage of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and others, to share videos, songs and pictures, to speak for and garner support for their preferred candidates and political parties.

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The National Electoral Commission (NEC), on June 6, issued a provisional list of presidential and parliamentary candidates indicating that only three out of nine aspirants for the presidency, out of the nine who filed candidatures, meet the requirements by law. Social media platforms were quickly used to disseminate the information.

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The creative social media use seems to have especially intensified after one of the first-time voters shared her excitement to vote, and what she noted was the good impact by RPF-Inkotanyi in the last seven years.

Make the 2024 elections as youthful as possible

"My target audience was my peers (first time voters) aged 18 to 24. I usually make videos to discuss trends in Rwanda and I had done one last year saying how excited I am to vote this year,” said Ingrid Cyitatire, a 22-year-old public servant in Kigali.

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"We should make the 2024 elections as engaging and youthful as possible because it is our time as the youth to have an impact on society through decision making.”

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Cyitatire said she was inspired by the need to give her peers an update and letting them know that the time has come and they have to show up and vote for RPF as a generation that witnessed the party’s dedication to making Rwanda an ‘ideal’ country to live and prosper in.

Frank Musinguzi, a 30-year-old hospitality entrepreneur, who submitted his candidature to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) as an independent aspirant for the parliamentary elections, said that ssocial media can provide a powerful platform for political communication and mobilization.

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He said: "Social media platforms allow candidates to reach a wide audience and engage with voters in real-time.

"It will be interesting to see how these digital campaigns unfold and their impact on the election outcome.”

Pascasie Mukanoheri, another aspirant who also submitted her candidature in the women category, earlier said that if she gets to be approved, she was looking forward to using social media platforms in campaigns.

"If given the opportunity, I am excited to harness the power of social media to connect with constituents and share my vision with a larger audience. I know how effective it can be when used well," she said.

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Charles Munyaneza, the Executive Secretary of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), said that they have also used different social media platforms to reach a wider range of youth.

He said: "Social media platforms enable us to reach a large number of young people, especially the first-time voters, encouraging them to engage in elections, because the youth voice has to count and.”

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Munyaneza said that the regulation of social media platforms before campaign period was an issue, as some people were using it to canvass support before the campaign period started.

"Social media platforms can make an impact; it is in that line that I call for everyone using it in line with elections to use it more properly and engage with the platforms while adhering to the Commission's regulations.”

The electoral commission encouraged voters to check if they are on the voting list and change their preferred polling stations early in case they want to change. Voters can make such changes on their phones by dialing *169# and following instructions.