Several young people who participated in Thursday’s general election have said that they hope the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) victory is an indication that people are no longer voting just because of family tradition.

They believe that if Jamaicans want to progress, leaders should only be elected based on performance only.

One individual who requested anonymity told the Jamaica Observer that: “I think the young people who voted in the two last elections definitely wanted to see a change in governance. Most of us mostly know of a People’s National Party (PNP) Government and are not so impressed with them. We need to move away from voting for a party just because of tradition and so I am quite pleased with the results.”

Steven Williams, 29, another young voter, said, “It seems as though many diehards did not come out and vote for a particular party, and I am very happy for that. We need to elect people who serve us and if they don’t, we should have no issue with getting rid of them. Vote for people who have action to back their talk.”

Ava Campbell, who said it was her second time voting, told the Sunday Observer that she believes that die-hard party supporters have played their party in hindering the advancement of the country and hopes that Thursday’s results show that the younger generation is not with that type of mindset.

“There is a video on social media with a lady being questioned as to why she was voting for a particular party and she outrightly said she didn’t know and then admitted that the party had actually not helped her. That doesn’t make sense and I am glad to see there is finally a shift.”

On Twitter, @Jaybrown97 said, “Let me be clear. This was not a vote against the PNP. This was a vote for the JLP based on their performance!”

@WeslyHughes said: “The most important lesson from the elections? Pay attention to structural shifts taking place: demographic and technological. If you ignore the generational shift then the generation will shift you. That is what happened to the PNP over the last decade.”

@Tramitaa said: “I voted for the first time and my promise is I am not gonna be glued to a political party like the older folk. I’m voting for policies, not a party. So if four years from now the PNP has the greater policies and a clear map to a better way forward, they have my vote.”