Meet the power couple helping young people swipe right for democracy

News24

5 days ago

Ryan Young and his long-term boyfriend Yeshav Sewlal are revolutionising youth political engagement through their innovative platform, 'Yoh, Vote'.
Their work - creating South Africa's political 'dating app' - has earned them recognition as News24 Young Mandelas for 2025 in the Deepening Democracy category.
What started as a conversation between university friends about voter apathy has evolved into a platform that has reached more than 87 000 unique users. It matches young South Africans with political parties through a Tinder-style quiz and interface.
The breakthrough moment came when Yeshav realised traditional civic education wasn't working.
'All my friends don't know about politics, but they use dating apps, so I was like maybe we should just make it into a dating app,' he said.
The inspiration came from a moment that would resonate with many young South Africans. On election day during the 2021 local government elections, Ryan asked his friends at university who would vote.
'People hadn't even given it a thought, and it was like it was sprung on them. So there are young people who knew it was important but weren't engaged by parties or media,' Ryan told News24.
'Getting into politics is like starting a soap opera four seasons in,' Yeshav elaborated.
Yeshav's Canva presentation to their friend group evolved into a comprehensive platform with a carefully crafted quiz that matches users with political parties based on policy positions rather than rhetoric.
The technical challenge was significant- condensing complex political manifestos into digestible, unbiased information. The team physically drew out their matching algorithm, ensuring they could present policy positions without value judgements.
'There were so many manifestos that it was very difficult to condense them. We wanted to make it thorough but easy and quick,' Yeshav explains.
The response exceeded expectations. 'We had a lot of people feel seen. There's not a lot of spaces out there that cater for our demographic,' Yeshav says.
The platform reached 80 000 people in just seven months.
However, the reception wasn't universally positive.
'People were either nice or distrusting,' Yeshav recalls, with some users suspicious that political parties planted the website.
The founders address critics who argue they're trivialising democracy. 'As voters and citizens, how you engage in democracy is up to you, and having a serious academic debate with jargon isn't interesting for everyone,' Ryan responds. 'It's supposed to jumpstart your education into these topics,' Yeshav adds.
Speaking about their surprise News24 Young Mandela nomination by a friend, both founders see it as validation of their mission to create alternative pathways for youth engagement.
Looking ahead, the team faces questions about capacity and sustainability. While they've received expansion offers, they're focused on strategic next steps for next year's local government elections.