I must Vote Achievements so Far!
Since its launch, the I Must Vote movement has made significant strides in empowering Cameroon’s youth to participate in the democratic process.
Our Impact
01
300+ Youths sensitized
02
60+ Registered already
The I Must Vote Project is a response to the urgent need for youth participation in Cameroon’s democratic process. Despite making up a significant portion of the population, young people are often excluded from decision-making due to voter apathy, lack of awareness, and mistrust in the electoral system. During the 2018 presidential elections, only 33.2% of eligible voters cast their ballots, leaving the future of 24.8 million Cameroonians in the hands of a minority.
This project exists to change that narrative. By empowering youths—especially girls and young women—with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to register and vote, we aim to create a more inclusive and representative democracy.
Must Take Action
Problem Statement
Young voters from Cameroon do not actively engage in elections which creates an important obstacle for democratic involvement. The 2018 presidential elections resulted in voter registration of 6.6 million citizens from a total 10.8 millions eligible to vote (20 years and above) while voting reached only 3.5 million. The voting population who reached age 20 or older amounted to 33.2% according to ELECAM and IFES Election Guide. The electoral participation rate remained low due to universal voter disinterest combined with system difficulties and lack of faith in voting procedures and deficient public awareness about democratic processes. A large segment of the young population in Cameroon shows minimal interest in national policies thus overlooking essential needs of girls and all youth.
The upcoming 2025 presidential elections will determine the direction in which Cameroon will progress. The same pattern of minimized voter participation and unsatisfactory governance systems will continue indefinitely when youth activists do not participate actively. This initiative targets three youth-related challenges that include insufficient voter registration and insufficient civic education and voter disengagement particularly within the girl population. Young people who participate in voting and registration will strengthen national policies by making their needs visible and establish a more inclusive and representative democracy in Cameroon.
Our mission combines education initiatives and tech platforms along with youth sponsorships for increasing voter registration amounts by 50% and election turnout levels to 30% above 2018 levels. Our initiative will also work towards the establishment of visible elections based on inclusion to restore public faith in voting systems. Failure to implement these actions will prevent young people from being heard and cause democracy’s trust to disappear while Cameroon loses the ability to use its youth potential for national advancement.
This method has excellent chances of success because it joins simple voter registration assistance with modern social outreach efforts. The democratic process includes all groups when we focus on girls while using role models as our approach. Our collective action will make voter disengagement transform into active democracy and build a brighter future for Cameroon.