PHENOMENA EMPTY BOXES AND THE RISE OF MILLENNIALS IN THE REGIONAL HEAD ELECTION IN LAMPUNG PROVINCE IN 2024

This research explores the phenomenon of empty boxes and millennial participation in the 2024 Lampung Provincial Election. It highlights the constitutional concern of single-candidate elections, where a win means no competition, but an empty box win results in a government-appointed leader. This issue follows the Constitutional Court Decision Number 60/2024, which eased candidacy requirements. Using a descriptive qualitative method, data was gathered through interviews and FGDs. The findings show that millennials dominated the 2024 Lampung voter list, making up 55% or 3,641,169 of 6,515,869 total voters. In Lampung Barat, Parosil Mabsus-Mad Hasnurin, the only pair running against an empty box, won 87.79% of the vote. At the provincial level, Rahmat Mirzani Djausal and Jihan Nurlela were declared Governor and Deputy Governor for 2025-2029.The study recommends raising public awareness that voting for an empty box is a valid option under election law, allowing voters to voice dissatisfaction with a single candidate. This supports a more democratic process, ensuring elected leaders are accountable to the people.