The Choice Begins with Participation: 

CEC Chairman Meets with Young Voters

As part of Global Elections Day, Nurlan Abdirov, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, held a meeting with students of Kunayev University. The dialogue brought together around 400 young voters and leaders of youth organizations.

The meeting was attended by members of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as representatives of the Expert Council under the CEC, the CEC Working Group on Ensuring Electoral Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Young Voter Club, members of the territorial election commissions of Almaty, and deputies of the city maslikhat.

The programme included an open, interactive Q&A session, during which key aspects of the development of Kazakhstan’s electoral system were discussed.

Nurlan Abdirov spoke about the structure of the electoral system, the dialogue platforms operating under the CEC, international cooperation, upcoming publications by the Central Election Commission, and efforts to develop electoral culture among young people.

Examples of youth participation in elected and representative bodies were also highlighted. Today, a 26-year-old akim heads the Irtysh Rural District of the Zhanasemey District in the Abai Region. The youngest maslikhat deputy is 23 years old (Kamyshinsky Distric, Kostanay Region), while the youngest Mazhilis deputy is 28.

The meeting continued with an interactive Q&A session, where students actively engaged in the discussion and raised topical questions.

Participants asked whether the Central Election Commission maintains a staff reserve and what requirements apply to candidates. A question was also raised about the reliability and transparency of electronic voting systems in light of international experience. In addition, participants asked about the possible application of international practices that impose responsibility for non-participation in elections.

Special attention was given to the image of the leader of the future in the context of digitalization, measures to foster a more conscious and informed attitude toward elections among young people, opportunities to expand youth participation in electoral processes, and the modern profile of a member of the Young Voters Club.

Thanks to the systematic and consistent work of election authorities, youth engagement in the electoral sphere is steadily increasing. Today, at the initiative of young citizens themselves, 248 Young Voters Clubs operate across the country.

The Chairman of the RK noted that it is important not to limit efforts to formal awareness-raising, but to explain clearly and consistently why elections are needed, what role they play in the system of governance, and why every citizen’s participation matters. In this regard, peer-to-peer communication plays a special role — when young leaders themselves speak to their peers about the importance of elections.

Such meetings also provide an opportunity to clearly explain the tasks and working mechanisms of election commissions. It is quite possible that today’s students will, in the future, become part of the talent pool for the civil service, lawmaking, and political governance.

Young voters actively participated in a traditional online survey aimed at collecting their views on topical issues on the electoral agenda. The survey also considered recommendations made by OSCE/ODIHR election observation missions regarding elections and referendums.

Key survey results:

71.3% of respondents support the requirement that presidential candidates have experience in the civil service;

46.3% of respondents prefer traditional voting with paper ballots;

41.1% of respondents believe that citizens declared legally incapacitated by a court should not participate in voting;

48.8% of respondents support restricting the electoral rights of convicted persons;

57.9% of respondents receive information about elections through social media.

Active participants in the discussion were presented with copies of scientific publications on electoral matters, prepared and published to mark the 30th anniversary of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The university library was also presented with the book “Elections in Kazakhstan: Brief and to the Point.”

Across the country, as part of Global Elections Day, around 2,500 discussion and interactive events are planned, with a total outreach of more than 106,000 people. These include meetings with school pupils and university students, quests, seminars, essay and video contests, debates, and intellectual games. The themes of the events cover the development of the electoral system, the role of elections in a democratic state, citizens’ electoral rights, the importance of civil society, inclusiveness, the rule of law, and transparency.

The main goal of these initiatives is to enhance young people’s legal and electoral culture and to foster a responsible and informed attitude toward participation in elections. In this context, on 2 February a meeting was held with the Young Voters Club of Almaty, during which participants discussed strengthening youth electoral literacy, expanding youth engagement in electoral processes, and the institutional role of the Young Voters Club as a permanent platform for dialogue between election authorities and the youth community.

On the same day, a training seminar for members of territorial election commissions was held on the topic “Key Aspects of Preparing and Conducting the Electoral Process.” At the start of the seminar, members of the region’s election commissions completed a test to assess their level of knowledge of electoral legislation and procedures.

The seminar aimed to enhance the professional training of commission members, improve skills for addressing practical issues that arise during the electoral process, and ensure the transparency and legality of elections.