‘Yoh, Vote’: The dating app you must visit before you vote

Ever wished there was a dating app but for political parties? Yoh, Vote combines the practical match-making magic of a dating app with the simple know-how of an informative website. The initiative seeks to equip young voters with the essentials for voting in a way that is familiar and accessible to them.

According to Yeshav Sewlal, ‘’The platform has taken off organically because youth are not apathetic. When given the opportunity people are more than willing to learn about political issues.” ‘’We liked the dichotomy of voting and something like a dating app. We thought it would be quite funny”, he said.

Yoh, Vote is the brainchild of a student team of six consisting of Sewlal, Ryan Young, Shannon Stodel, Santhea Sinivasan, Daniel Klopper, and Nthatisi Mota from Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town whose passion it is to empower young people and encourage them to get involved in politics in South Africa, according to the website.

Let’s explore its unique features and functions that strive to bridge the gap the youth and voter awareness.

Voter registration

Yoh, Vote provides comprehensive information and resources to facilitate voter registration. The initiative stresses the significance of this fundamental democratic right and encourages young individuals to register to vote in the upcoming 2024 National Elections. The website actively promotes youth involvement in politics and emphasise the importance of the younger generation’s participation in shaping the future of the nation. It aims to inspire and mobilise young individuals to take an active role in the politics that govern their country.

Information is power

The initiative informs its users of various political issues and terminology to make the youth more comfortable with the language used in the conversations about how the country is run. The platform also gives basic information about voting, such as who qualifies for voting, how to vote, where to vote, and what you will need to bring with you on voting day.

Meet your match

The website offers insights into various political candidates, enabling users to familiarise themselves with the individuals vying for public office. This feature aims to equip voters with the knowledge necessary to make informed choices at the polls. With the ‘Meet your match’ function users are asked about their views on various political issues such as loadshedding, nationalisation, and land expropriation to find their ‘political match’. This means that the website suggests which political party best aligns with your political views based on a quiz. The questions are not easy, though, and have you thinking about where you stand on the matters. However, as much as the app helps you to think about politics, you still have to continue doing your own independent research on political parties, their policies and track records.

Going on a date

Once users have been ‘set up’ with their ideal match, they can go on a ‘date’ and learn about the political party’s origins are their missions, and main objectives. These outcomes are to be treated as guidance but not regarded as the only means of deciding on voting day. The website even allows users to ‘take things further’ which means the website will lead you to the website of your chosen political party where you can be better informed about it.

“We have an extensive internal process, if political parties want to be added to the website, they have to send us their manifesto and there is a lot of consideration that goes into which ones we add. We have instances where ANC supporters might get DA, DA supporters might get ActionSA, and ActionSA supporters could get FF+. There are also instances where the quiz is pretty accurate. But it is the conversations and engagement that is really the important part,” Sewlal said.