The campaign’s objective was two-pronged. First, it empowered the youth to help steer the nation toward a more participative democracy. Second, it aimed to assist Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in exercising their constitutional right to vote. The campaign achieved significant success, mobilizing a total of 1,073 participants, surpassing its goal of 1,000 voters.

Young leaders played a pivotal role in this campaign, driving the mobilization of a diverse demographic: 545 women, 329 men, and three individuals who preferred to withhold information about their gender. The youth, aged 18-25, constituted the majority, with 745 participants. Despite logistical obstacles preventing a full survey of the PWD group, documents from their organizations highlighted that 196 PWDs.

196 PWDs and senior citizens were provided with free transport, snacks, and drinks during the election.

A cornerstone of the campaign was the training of 16 youth leaders who were responsible for fostering The Democracy Network in their local communities. Eleven of these leaders facilitated commitment-signing events, attended by a total of 291 participants, who pledged to uphold the integrity of the democratic process. These commitments encompassed a range of principles from refusing to sell votes to educating themselves on electoral issues, to maintaining accountability for candidates’ promises.

Complementing the on-ground efforts, an online campaign was launched to counter disinformation and rally support for the #STRONGERtogether initiative. On election day, the signatories of the commitment mobilized their networks to participate in the electoral process and complete a survey on political participation.

The #STRONGERtogether campaign successfully established the Democracy Network PH, a youth-led informal organization devoted to augmenting political participation among Filipino citizens.

Members of the Democracy Network PH

Looking ahead, IPSDI intends to leverage the potential of these youth leaders who outperformed their targets. This strategy is crucial given the ongoing spread of disinformation, particularly on social media, even after the elections.

The institute remains committed to fostering democratic engagement, laying the groundwork for future campaigns aimed at encouraging citizens to actively shape the nation’s political landscape.

The non-partisan campaign, launched on Friday August 13, 2021, seeks to support Persons With Disabilities (PWD) and Senior Citizens by providing transportation assistance to make accessible COMELEC registration sites in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

In support of the campaign, TWHI Administrative Manager Ramon Apilado lauded the effort by saying that it makes the registration, and even the upcoming 2022 elections, more inclusive for PWDs.

“The quarantine has been difficult for everyone to move, most especially those who are differently abled.” said Apilado “We hope that through this campaign we empower more PWDs to register and participate in our democracy.”

In addition, the campaign also appeals to young voters to register in exchange for access to a platform that offers jobs, scholarships, mentorship, and training opportunities – the first campaign of its kind.

“We need to take a different approach than the conventional campaigns we’ve held before,” said IPSDI President Elmer Cruz. “This time, besides the usual tone of ‘urgency’, we’ve decided to invest in building relationships and giving them a new reason to register and vote – an incentive to access other opportunities.”

COMELEC Spokesperson Director James Jimenez believes #STRONGERtogether would greatly complement the ongoing efforts of the commission to increase voter registration before September 30.

“These efforts are part of our collective but differentiated responsibility to get everyone to register,” Jimenez said. “The priority is clear: to get everyone to participate in the elections, and we can only do that if we make voter registration all the more accessible and appealing.”

With only around 50 days left until the registration deadline, the group prods voters to register in a bid to increase public participation in the 2022 national polls; an election described as consequential due to the current COVID-19 global crisis.