Nur Sofyan, Puncak Abdi Gumilar, Ane Permatasari, Bekti Setyo Nurkholis, Sulthon Abdul Aziz
The degree of election participation reveals the dedication of a society to democratic norms. A region’s degree of democratic representation exactly corresponds to its degree of public election participation. Promoting community elections falls to the General Election Commission. The 2019 general election in Wonogiri Regency recorded the highest voter turnout in the region’s electoral history, while it fell short of the national target. Local wisdom, such as “Ngerekso Bumi” and other cultural traditions held by the Wonogiri community, are leveraged by the Wonogiri’s KPU to engage the community and disseminate election socialization messages more extensively and effectively. Through implementing cultural activities involving thousands of individuals, the KPU in Wonogiri can facilitate community participation in the electoral process. This research employs a qualitative approach with a case study methodology, utilizing in-depth interviews with the Chairman of the Wonogiri’s KPU, the Head of Socialization of the Wonogiri’s KPU, and members of the Wonogiri community. This study’s findings indicate that the Wonogiri’s KPU strategy effectively achieves its objectives. Cultural events embody the values of local wisdom in Wonogiri Regency can attract the public’s attention, encouraging participation in the general election. The utilization of public figures who are also cultural figures as communicators of socialization by the KPU of Wonogiri has been found to have a very positive impact. The strategy is supported by maintaining the character and stabilizing the institutions run by the current Chairman of the Wonogiri’s KPU, which has the effect of creating social capital and social networks that are of great significance in reaching and increasing public awareness of Wonogiri Regency regarding participation in general elections. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.
Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Faculty of Social Science, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
