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For the general public, Indonesia’s five-year electoral cycle is often perceived merely as a procedural voting event, overlooking the substance and quality of how voters select presidential or regional leaders. Following the 2024 General Election, the challenges of democracy have shifted from technical management to the prevention of polarization, money politics, digital disinformation, identity politics, and echo chambers. This article analyzes the urgency of implementing sustainable voter education during the inter-election period, using the General Election Commission (KPU) of Balikpapan City as a case study. The study focuses on KPU Balikpapan’s strategies to transform pragmatic voters, who are susceptible to manipulation, into informed participants, while also addressing the vulnerabilities of first-time voters ahead of the 2029 Election to increase participation rates. The analysis indicates that political education during the non-election period is a critical moment to build the cognitive foundation of voters without compromising their independent choice, making the role of KPU Balikpapan essential in maintaining democratic integrity in the city.

The River Basin (DAS) as a place of absorption and water source for living things, forms an ecosystem and a direct relationship between humans and nature. This study aims to determine the function of the Subayang River for the DAS community in Tanjung Belit Village, and to analyze the process of interpreting the river using the social construction theory of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckman. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach, with data collection techniques in the form of in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation. Data analysis uses the Miles and Huberman model. The research subjects numbered eight people, consisting of six main subjects (selected purposively) and two key subjects. The results of the study show that the Subayang River has domestic functions (consumption and MCK) and non-domestic (interaction space, economic function, mobility, culture, conservation, and disposal). The process of the community interpreting the Subayang River consists of three processes, namely externalization (Knowledge) sources of community knowledge about rivers are formed through direct experience, family heritage, social interaction, norms or unwritten rules maintained by the community. Objectivation (Attitude) of Subayang River is not only seen as a water source but as a source of life, as a sacred object, river as identity and river as a place of purification. Internalization (Action) of society carries out various actions that come from the community's response to the river. The social construction process is influenced by internal factors (Personal Experience, Cognitive Awareness, Emotional) and external factors (Family, Norms/Rules, Community Culture, Environmental Conditions).

Drug abuse and trafficking are transnational issues that require serious attention from various countries. Indonesia and the Philippines, two countries in Southeast Asia, have developed different institutional approaches in combating drugs through the Badan Narkotika Naional (BNN) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). This study aims to compare both institutions from the cultural-cognitive pillar based on William Richard Scott’s institutional theory. The method used is descriptive qualitative research with a literature study approach. The results show that BNN prioritizes rehabilitative and educational approaches that are increasingly accepted as a reasonable treatment pattern in Indonesia. Meanwhile, PDEA implements a repressive approach that is supported by most of the Filipino society, despite being accompanied by human rights violations. These findings indicate that collective thinking frameworks and public legitimacy play a crucial role in shaping institutional strategies and impacts in each country. This study provides significant implications regarding how societal mindsets influence the effectiveness of drug eradication efforts.