As the state election draws closer, many first-time voters are struggling to navigate the political landscape.

Rebecca Perkins, 19, is one of many young people preparing to head to the polls, while figuring out which party deserves her support.

The Youngtown woman said it was tough to feel comfortable giving anyone her vote, with conflicting messages across print, television and on social media.

“Being from the generation that is so influenced by social media, and where social media is a platform for people to discuss these things, so much of it is constantly in your face,” Miss Perkins said.

“As a first-time voter I haven’t been with a party before to stick with, so it’s about taking in what you see in the media, how the parties promote themselves and trying to decide which way is the best way to vote for yourself.”

Miss Perkins said while many young people were aware of the need for a critical eye she questioned how anyone could find the truth.

“It’s hard to make a decision when you are hearing so many different things all the time, you hear one thing in one form of media and then it’s contradicted in other areas,” she said. 

“How do I do that as a young person with little understanding of politics? And how do I decide what is best for me to vote for? As a a young person without that knowledge behind myself, how am I supposed to make the best, informed decision that I can?”

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Young people do not realise how influential they could be, Miss Perkins said.

“I do know a lot of young voters aren’t interested because they don’t understand how it affects us,” she said.

“We are the future and we are going to be growing up to be those leaders and to be heavily influenced by the decisions that are made now.

“But it’s also really hard to know how we are going to be influenced. The parties make promises but then they have to be made accountable and we have got to see that the promises they make are put into action and then that it has that follow-on effect.

“As a young person it’s hard to visualise that, so I guess it’s more about trusting the process and believing that it is going to have a long-term effect.”

The number of young voters is on the rise and the record number of enrolments can be linked directly to engagement in the postal survey on same-sex marriage, according to the AEC.

A total of 2648 people in Tasmania were added to the electoral role between August 8 and 24, 2017, ahead of the survey. 

Of those added to the roll in time to cast their vote, 1974 were under the age of 25. The figure amounts to a 5 per cent increase.

To help younger voters gain some clarity The Examiner put a number of Miss Perkins’ questions to the youth movements of the major parties. 

Young Labor

Everyone arrives at their decision about who to vote for differently, said Tasmanian Young Labor president Morris Malone.

“For some it might be the issues raised by a particular candidate and for others it might be the values and ideals at the core of a political party's platform,” he said.

“In the age of the Internet, social media and 24-hour news cycle young people are more engaged than ever before.

“Having been raised with the technologies these mediums are delivered through and relying on them for work and study, young people not only have a world of information at their fingertips but also express their thoughts and feelings using these platforms.”

Mr Malone said the decisions made at every level of government affect and shape many aspects of our lives, and when deciding how to vote you must ask yourself what's important to you.

“All of the parties and independent candidates have policies and proposals on every issue that's being discussed in the debate,” he said.

“Members of parliament and candidates for parliament are more accessible than people would believe. 

“Writing emails or making phone calls to those who seek to represent us can not only answer our questions about the issues we're concerned about but also help to build trust.”

Young Greens

Member of the Tasmanian Young Greens Karl McBeath said he tries to engage with politicians on a social level, to learn more about them and their polices and try to break though “the spin”.

“I think it’s also important to get the message out to not just young people, but all voters that it’s imperative to research the actual party and candidates policies before making up your mind on who to vote for,” he said.

“Money buys exposure, and therefore impacts how people vote, opaque political donations are corrupting democracy.

“I was completely politically apathetic until a couple of years ago, but state and federal policies at the time forced me to take notice and do some research.”

Young Liberals

Tasmanian Young Liberals president Bec Dunham said the most important thing for first-time voters to know is if the party they vote for has policies covering all the key areas of importance for young people. 

“All of the Liberal's policies are available online ... ?including policies delivering a massive funding injection into health and education, lots of job-creating policies and projects, and policies on lowering the cost of living and building more housing,” she said.

“We also have great candidates and members around the state who would be happy to chat to young voters or any Tasmanians who want to know more about our policies.”