Young first-time voters in Türkiye offered virtual election experience on Metaverse

By Zeynep Rakipoglu

ISTANBUL (AA) – Young first-time voters in Türkiye have the opportunity to live the election experience on the Metaverse with virtual reality goggles and joystick thanks to a Turkish platform for democratic participation and awareness.

Aiming to prepare young people for voting process, the Oy Birligi Platformu developed the project to boost young voters' self-confidence and help them better understand how voting works, it said in a statement.

Türkiye is gearing up to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14, with millions expected to be casting their ballots for the first time, according to official figures.

The project offers a realistic voting experience, as participants can take their virtual ballot cards and envelope from a front table using joysticks and VR goggles, stamp their preferred party and candidate in the booth, and deposit their vote into the ballot box.

It also seeks to encourage young voters' active participation in democratic processes and raise awareness about elections, underlined Omar Sahan, spokesperson of the Oy Birligi Plaformu, saying that this was critical for strengthening democracy.

"Our voting experience on the Metaverse offers young voters the opportunity to experience the democratic process in an interactive way," he said.