Distrust and uncertainty keep some Latvians from voting

All Latvian citizens have equal voting rights, but participation varies sharply between groups, LSM reported. Some people do not feel that their vote can change anything, even when they are interested in politics and want to improve their lives.

“An invisible voter is certainly not someone who is completely uninterested in politics. Silence in politics is usually not neutral,” said Līga Stafecka, a leading researcher at the Providus research centre.

She said people who choose not to vote generally have specific reasons. They may care about what is happening in the country and want to change their lives, but fail to see the tools available to influence events.

Young people and disappointment with democracy

Young people are one such group. They may develop an early impression that politics is too complicated and that ordinary people cannot influence it anyway. Stafecka said this attitude does not always mean indifference.

“A person would basically like to change their life, but feels they do not have the tools to do it,” she said.

Political science doctoral student Romāns Gagunovs said similar trends could be seen in other countries. Young people there, too, had become disappointed with democracy, he said. The issue was not only elections but also a lack of faith in democracy itself.

Gagunovs called this a warning sign that something was wrong with the younger generation’s attitude towards the political system. At the same time, young people also include active voters.

Pāvels, 24, recalled being slightly afraid when he voted for the first time. He did not know how the process worked and was worried about making a mistake.

“I was afraid of doing something incorrectly, such as accidentally damaging the ballot paper. It was simply fear of making a mistake, a human factor. Choosing a party was also difficult. It was not clear where to find information about the parties, what each one was offering or which decision would be the right one,” he said.

Learning to vote before turning 18

Young people can learn about elections before they gain voting rights. Schools in Latvia hold mock elections, which take place in roughly the same way as real elections.