Students’ Views on How Election Campaign Strategies Shaped Newly Registered Voters’ Political Views: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Succeeding in any political endeavor requires thoughtful execution. As digital media rose in influence while traditional outreach remained relevant, various campaign strategies were employed to target specific goals. This study aimed to describe students' views on how election campaign strategies shaped newly registered voters' political views. The study adopted a qualitative-descriptive approach, gathering data through a pre-validated, semi-structured written interview guide. Nine (9) newly registered voters from the College of Education were selected through purposive sampling. Clarke and Braun's thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns in the data. Seven (7) key themes emerged from the analysis namely: (1) Advertising through social media, (2) Interacting with trending posts and memes, (3) Participating in online discussions, (4) Doing door-to-door campaigning, (5) Using posters, banners and flyers, (6) Organizing rallies, and (7) Displaying campaign slogans, then classified into fifteen (15) categories. Results identified that while digital platforms expanded voters’ exposure to campaign information, conventional methods continued to build trust through personal interaction. The interplay of digital and conventional approaches in election campaigning proves essential in shaping varied political perspectives among young voters.