Me, The Change Campaign: Have You Met 2019 Elections’ Queenmakers?

The first-time woman voters, and their aspirations, will change India in the next decade. Are you ready?

(Photo: Harsh Sahani/The Quint)

Creative Producer: Puneet Bhatia
Producer & Text: Maanvi

Feisty, decisive, daring, and ready to change India’s politics?

The 2019 Lok Sabha elections are set to be a turning point in India’s history. But there will be one kingmaker or queenmaker to watch out for. Meet the first-time woman voter.

Whether it is transforming their communities, working on the next big innovation, breaking conventions through music and art, or redefining the rules of business, young women from villages and small cities are achieving the unimaginable. They, and their aspirations, will change India in the next decade. And The Quint’s six-month long campaign, “Me, the Change,” presented by Facebook, is telling you exactly what they want and how they’ll get there. The question is, are you ready?

Why the First-Time Woman Voter?

Contemporary research and data show that three factors will be crucial in the elections. One, the number of first-time voters. According to the Election Commission of India, roughly 2.6 crore young people in the age bracket of 18 to 20 years have already been registered in the electoral rolls. Two, the tendency of first-time voters to be uncommitted; making them the main target of every political party. And three, the influence of social media on this demographic to shape political consciousness. Young men and women live and love on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp; why should politics be different?

In this zoomed-in demographic, the first-time women voters are largely unheard of. They are working hard, overcoming extraordinary hurdles and changing their lives slowly but steadily. But what do they want?

A good salary? The freedom to marry who she wants? More access to empowering information? Or a fiery ambition to make something out of herself? It’s a simple question but one which might just determine the electoral future of India.

What Will ‘Me, the Change’ Campaign Do?

The Quint’s “Me, The Change” campaign will focus on first-time women voters through the stories of ten women ‘achievers’ — women in small cities and villages who have overcome their immediate struggles to do something extraordinary and are now working to multiply this impact in their communities. We will be hosting an event to felicitate these achievers and spark a discussion on the issues that matter to first-time women voters ahead of the 2019 elections.

As part of the initiative, The Quint will conduct a nation-wide survey to understand what first-time women voters seek from the new government. Throughout the campaign, we will invite stories from and of young women achievers. The Quint will also promote a ‘Go Vote’ campaign to educate young women about the power of their vote. During Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram, the campaign will go on-ground and host regional chaupals with women voters.

If you know a young woman achiever, or have always been in awe of a friend, or a sister, or a colleague’s grit and gumption, tell us! Nominate a first-time woman voter who’s changing her world.

We’re listening.