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This study investigates the influence of Apparatus Competency and Information Systems on Community Political Participation in the Local Government Head Election during the COVID-19 pandemic era in Karawang Regency. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to democratic processes, particularly in maintaining voter participation while ensuring public health safety. Employing a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis, this research analyzed data from 263 respondents across various election administrative units. The results indicate that: (1) Apparatus Competency does not have a significant positive effect on Community Political Participation (T-value = 1.01 < 1.96); (2) Information Systems have a significant positive effect on Community Political Participation (T-value = 2.78 > 1.96; path coefficient = 0.67). The combined contribution of both variables explains 76% of the variance in political participation. From these findings, the study proposes the Skills Democracy Model, emphasizing that digital information skills and organizational experience are critical determinants of democratic participation quality during pandemic conditions. These findings have significant implications for election governance reform and e-democracy development in Indonesia.

This study aims to analyze the supervisory strategy of the Panwascam (Central Election Supervisory Agency) of Sinjai Borong District in handling election violations in the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections in Sinjai Regency. The study focuses on two main aspects, namely preventive strategies and repressive strategies. The research method uses a qualitative approach with case studies, through in-depth interviews, observation, documentation, and interactive data analysis. The results show that the Panwascam's preventive strategies include socialization of election regulations, political education, and strengthening coordination with village officials and community leaders. This strategy has been proven to increase regulatory understanding among lower-level election organizers and public political awareness, especially first-time voters. Meanwhile, the repressive strategy is implemented through violation handling mechanisms, preparing legal recommendations, and summoning perpetrators and witnesses. Based on field findings, the Panwascam successfully handled one case of violation of ASN neutrality that was recommended to the Regency Bawaslu. This study concludes that the supervision of the Sinjai Borong Panwascam is relatively effective, although it still faces limited resources, low public legal literacy, and strong local political patronage. The results of this study provide a conceptual contribution to strengthening the community-based electoral supervision model, which integrates regulatory, educational, and collaborative aspects. They also serve as practical recommendations for improving the quality of electoral democracy at the local level.