Facebook, IEBC in new partnership to raise voter awareness and education

As Kenya kicks off a month-long biometric voter verification drive, Facebook in partnership with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will help raise awareness of the voter verification process by running a campaign on Facebook.

From 17 May, people over the age of 18 who log on to Facebook will see a message at the top of their News Feed which reminds them to verify the accuracy of their details in the voters’ register and make corrections.

By clicking a link in the message, you will be directed to the IEBC Facebook Page where you can engage with IEBC with your questions on the process. You will also be able to share with your friends that you’ve verified your registration.

Kenyans on Facebook will begin seeing the message [As per the English Version of the Newsfeed Unit], with another notification just before the verification period ends on 9 June. The Voter Verification button will make it easy for you to share that you are taking part in the election and act as a reminder to others to take part.

Rolling out the Voter Verification button is a small way that Facebook is helping to encourage people to take part in the democratic process.

Ebele Okobi –Public Policy Director, Africa, Facebook, said in a press statement, “With more than 6.8million people in Kenya using Facebook every month, our platform is where many Kenyans discuss their hopes for the future. We believe that democracies are stronger when more people are engaged – that’s why we are encouraging everyone who is eligible to vote by reminding people of the deadline and connecting them with resources. We want to build products that support this type of civic engagement – on Election Day and every day.”

Andrew Limo, Manager Communications at the IEBC, said: “We are passionate about increasing public participation in the electoral process and encouraging people to exercise their civic rights. By working closely with Facebook, we hope to raise voter awareness of how the verification process works and increase engagement with us, particularly with the youth.”