Tonga’s youth-driven initiative, Take The Lead (TTL), has launched a new digital edition of the Tonga Youth Vote Handbook, aiming to empower first-time voters through island-wide outreach. Originally developed in 2020 with support from the Electoral Commission, the handbook serves as the first dedicated resource for youth voter education in the country. Lord Fakafanua lauded the effort during its initial launch, noting its importance in helping young people understand the electoral process.
The updated handbook comes in preparation for Tonga’s general elections on November 20, 2025, and has been digitized to cater to the preferences of today’s youth. Elizabeth V. Kite, the founder of TTL, shared insights regarding the handbook’s evolution, explaining, “Being the first of its kind in Tonga, we learned a lot from our 2020 project. We’ve updated it to reach them where they spend most of their time—online.”
The handbook provides essential information on the electoral process, detailing how to register, vote, and engage with political matters beyond Election Day. TTL has committed to distributing the handbook through extensive outreach sessions across both Tongatapu and the outer islands. To ensure continuous engagement, they encourage young Tongans to visit the designated website and follow TTL’s social media channels for updates.
The launch of the handbook is particularly timely, as young voters face pressing concerns such as climate change, deep-sea mining, job scarcity, and drug-related issues. The initiative underscores the significance of civic education among youths, an effort that resonates with broader discussions on enhancing voter engagement in the Pacific region. For example, similar initiatives in Fiji have highlighted the importance of addressing voter registration, particularly among rural youths.
Overall, this renewed focus on empowering young voters through accessible information and engagement sets a hopeful tone for the upcoming elections in Tonga. With the right tools and resources, the youth have the potential to play a pivotal role in shaping their democratic landscape, echoing a commitment to inclusivity and active citizenship that is increasingly becoming a priority in the region.