Young Voices, Decisive Votes: A Comprehensive Review of Youth Participation in Democratic Elections

Youth participation in democratic elections is widely regarded as essential for sustaining democratic governance, yet younger populations often demonstrate lower and inconsistent voter turnout compared to older groups, raising concerns about political disengagement and the legitimacy of democratic institutions. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the research landscape on youth participation in democratic elections by analyzing scholarly literature and expert insights using Scopus-AI Analytics. Employing a qualitative review method, the study identifies and synthesizes consistent, rising, and novel themes influencing youth political engagement. Findings indicate that while youth involvement in traditional electoral processes remains limited, their participation is increasingly expressed in non-traditional spaces such as social media, activism, and grassroots movements. Consistent themes, including civic education, institutional trust, and the interaction between digital and traditional political engagement, remain central to understanding electoral behavior. Rising themes reveal the growing role of digital platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter in shaping civic identity and facilitating political discourse, especially among first-time voters and marginalized groups. Novel themes highlight the importance of non-electoral activities as alternative pathways for political influence and democratic engagement. The study contributes theoretically by extending participatory and deliberative democracy frameworks to digital contexts, where online spaces act as new arenas of civic participation, while practically emphasizing the importance of strengthening civic education, fostering institutional trust, and leveraging non-traditional political practices to enhance youth engagement. Overall, the findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to integrate youth voices more effectively into democratic processes and ensure the resilience of democratic systems.