[Musashino University] Musashino University x Koto City Election Commission Collaboration Project: 'How to Get Young People to Vote?' Student-led Election Analysis - Department of Political Science 'Special Election Research Results Presentation 2026' Held

Musashino University's Department of Political Science (Koto-ku, Tokyo; President: Seiko Konishi) held the "Special Election Research Results Presentation 2026" at its Ariake Campus on Wednesday, March 18. This presentation reported on the initiatives and outcomes of the 2025 academic year for the political science course "Special Election Research" (instructors: Associate Professor Shin Yamazaki, Associate Professor Yuki Takahashi).

"Special Election Research" is a practical 18-month project centered on conducting empirical research related to elections, as well as engaging in various election awareness activities.

This course, now in its 10th period in the 2025 academic year, was established based on the "Agreement on Election Cooperation Projects" concluded between Musashino University and Koto City in 2014. At this presentation, greetings were also given by Mr. Yasuyuki Ueno, Chairman of the Koto City Election Commission, Mr. Noritoshi Uemura, Acting Chairman, and Mr. Kazuya Fujita, Secretary-General.

### 【Presentation Content】 Third-year students reported on their research findings, which were the culmination of 18 months of study, while second-year students provided an interim report as they will continue their research for approximately another year. All of the third-year students' research was experimental, using questionnaire surveys conducted on new eligible voters in Koto City with the cooperation of the Koto City Election Commission. Their research offered proposals on "how to encourage young people to become interested in politics." After the presentations, many questions were received from participants, and the students responded carefully, referring to their research data.

- Grade: 2nd year, Presenter: Toano Hidaka, Theme: The Relationship between Candidates' SNS Style and Voter Age Composition in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Election, Overview: Research on the relationship between the population composition of an electoral district and the content of candidates' posts on X (formerly Twitter). - Grade: 3rd year, Presenters: Anzu Osaki, Moe Kikuma, Ami Sato, Theme: The Impact of Perception of the Value of One Vote on Voting Motivation - 'Value' Shown by Overall Election Results and Monetary Amounts, Overview: Research on changes in voter motivation caused by conveying the value of one vote to voters. - Grade: 3rd year, Presenters: Sumire Suzuki, Saki Hasegawa, Akina Mogi, Maya Yamauchi, Theme: The Impact of Framing Effects on Policy Attitudes and Voting Motivation, and New Voters' Use of SNS, Overview: Research on changes in voter attitudes caused by expressing the same policy from different perspectives.

### 【Instructor Comments】

**■ Shin Yamazaki, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science** At the end of the 2025 academic year, the Special Election Research project will conclude its 10th period. This presentation reported on the culmination of 18 months of learning from the latter half of the 2024 academic year. Through three elections, surveys of new eligible voters, and outreach classes, I believe there were many opportunities to learn the meaning of gaining empirical knowledge about elections and voter awareness. Instead of just considering ideals, a more precise discussion became possible based on what is actually happening.

**■ Yuki Takahashi, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science** The 2025 academic year results presentation was originally scheduled for January 21 as part of the "Koto City Bright Election Promotion Committee Late-term Education Course," but was postponed due to news reports regarding the dissolution of the House of Representatives. I am very pleased that it could be held in this format, allowing many people to see the students' rich research presentations.

Its successful conclusion is entirely due to the extensive cooperation we receive daily from the Koto City Election Commission, to whom I extend my heartfelt gratitude. We intend to further deepen our collaboration next year.

### 【2025 Academic Year Initiatives in the Department of Political Science】 In addition to classroom lectures, the Department of Political Science offers a wide variety of courses that emphasize learning in real-world political settings. Beyond "Special Election Research," external learning activities are also active, including lectures by instructors active outside the university, visits to various public facilities, on-site classes, and outreach classes at elementary schools. Here are some excerpts of the Department of Political Science's initiatives in the 2025 academic year (as published on the university website).

- Course Name (Publication Date): Watanabe Seminar (Public Administration, Public Policy) (2025/8/26), HP Article: Learning about Public Servants Working at the Airport - Visiting Haneda Airport - Course Name (Publication Date): Special Election Research 2 (2025/9/18), HP Article: Experienced Election Administration at the Vote Counting Station for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Election and House of Councillors Election - Course Name (Publication Date): Nakamura Seminar (African Politics) (2025/10/9), HP Article: This link is broken because the related news is missing.