Level of People's Participation in Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Siyasa Perspectives

: The direct election of local government leaders has been held since 2005 in Indonesia as a manifestation of regional autonomy. Simultaneous Pilkada which was held on December 9, 2020 brought its history of democracy to the Indonesian people, which were carried out during a pandemic. This paper discusses the factors that affect the level of community participation in the implementation of simultaneous regional elections during the pandemic and the comparison when there was no Corona virus pandemic in fikih siyasa perspectives. By using a qualitative approach, it was found that several factors that influence the level of community participation in the pilkada are: First, the high awareness of the community to choose leaders towards change and progress in their regions that have the potential to change the welfare of citizens; Second, the figure of the candidate pair and the formulation of the work program; Third, socialization through mass media which is carried out massively in every stage of the election; Fourth, technical changes to the implementation of voting which are considered unique; and Fifth, the socialization of the implementation of health protocols that the committee continues to intensify so as to foster trust in the community.Pilkada both before and during the pandemic are in line with the principles of siyasa, which are accountable, transparent and fair. In the siyasa perspective, the election of regional leaders is an obligation, especially in crucial conditions that require strategic policies to address public interests and health. This is in line with the hadith of the Prophet that even in small groups we are told to appoint leaders.


INTRODUCTION
In 2019 the world was shocked by the emergence of the Corona virus (Coronavirus Disease 2019) or also known as Covid-19 which later became an epidemic in several countries.This gave birth to a number of policies in countries that use the virus to reduce activities that involve many people in order to reduce the potential for transmission of the virus.To anticipate its spread and spread, several countries that have not experienced the Corona virus have issued a number of policies.Likewise, the Indonesian government issued a policy against visits from countries indicated to be exposed or affected by the Corona virus.
Even though we have anticipated and tightened activities, in reality the Indonesian state has not escaped exposure to the Corona virus.Indonesia was reported to have contracted the Corona virus starting in 2020, as stated by President JokoWidodo that in Indonesia the first case of being infected with Covid-19 was found on March 2, 2020 (Putri, 2020).Various efforts have been made by the government to prevent the spread and transmission of this virus, including Presidential Decree Number 7 of 2020 concerning the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling Corona Virus Disease 2019 ; Republic of Indonesia Government Regulation Number 21 of 2020 concerning Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB); as well as various health protocol policies that have been issued by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia through various policies and agencies.
The problem that then arises is that in 2020 Indonesia is preparing to hold regional head elections (hereinafter written Pilkada) simultaneously in 270 regions, while the spread and transmission of the Corona virus still shows an increasing curve.The high rate of spread and transmission of Corona did not cause the Indonesian government to postpone the implementation of regional elections in various regions, instead the government issued Perppu (Peraturan Pemerintah Pengganti Undang-undang) Number 2 of 2020 as the basis for implementing simultaneous regional elections to be held in 2020 (Perppu Nomor 2, 2020).Of course this invites pros and cons, but the government has strong reasons to continue holding Pilkada in 2020, as stated by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud M.D., one of the reasons is because the government does not want the 270 regions to be led by executors (Plt.) who cannot make strategic policies, whereas in a situation dealing with a pandemic, necessary steps strategic steps (Tempo, 2020).
The facts above are interesting because previously many were concerned about the low level of voter turnout if the Pilkada were to be held in the midst of the Corona virus pandemic.Of course, this concern is well-founded; this is because several countries that held elections in a pandemic year experienced a decline based on the level of public participation.For example, the country of Iran, from the previous election in 2015, the level of public participation reached 60.09%, which decreased in the 2020 election to 42.32%; Jordan 36.13 % (2016) to 29.90 % (2020); Kazakhstan 77.10 % (2016) to 63.25 % (2021); Syria 57.56 % (2016) to 33.17 % (2020).Although in several countries there has also been an increase in voter turnout, for example South Korea from 58.03% (2016) to 66.21% (2020) and Singapore from 93.70% (2015) to 95.81% (2020) (IDEA, 2021).
The stages of Pilkada implementation are not only at the time of voting or regional head elections, but through a series of events that involve a lot of the community.This has the potential to create crowds that can lead to transmission and spread of the virus.Starting from the stages of updating and compiling voter data, then the stages of candidate pair registration (which are usually paraded by sympathizers), stages of the campaign period to the stages of voting and recapitulating the results of vote counting.Of course, this is not an easy job if you reflect on the previous election (when there was no pandemic), it was quite troublesome and encountered many technical problems in the field.Especially during a pandemic when you have to add to your work by monitoring the emergence of crowds during the Pilkada stages.
In addition to the factors above, the fear of the regional head election failing is due to a tightening policy on activities that urge people to stay at home (stay at home).In fact, some areas have implemented a policy of limiting activities for their residents, for example in DKI Jakarta, Tangerang and Depok which have implemented a policy of Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB).This is of course a contradiction with the election policy which is likely to invite a large crowd, coupled with the target set by the organizing committee/General Election Commission (KPU) regarding the level of public participation in the 2020 regional elections, which is 77.5 percent nationally.Even though the local elections were held before the pandemic, the level of public participation rarely reached the national target set by the KPU.Some of the facts above are interesting to study because concerns about the lack of public participation in the 2020 Pilkada are unfounded.This is indicated by the increasing level of community participation in the 2020 regional elections.For example, in Pemalang Regency, the level of community participation in the 2020 regional elections was the highest in the history of elections in this region.Or in Pekalongan City where the level of community participation reached 79.35 percent (exceeding the national target).This research focuses on three regions in Central Java, namely Pekalongan City, Pekalongan Regency, and Pemalang Regency.The reason for selecting the three regions is because in the year of the pandemic (2020) these three regions held Pilkada and geographically these regions are close together, so they have almost the same cultural pattern and societal tendencies.In addition, one of the three areas, namely Pemalang Regency, received special attention from the Governor of Central Java to tighten activities that could potentially bring crowds.
Another reason for selecting these three regions was due to the high level of public participation in the 2020 Pilkada.Two of them exceeded the national target set by the RI KPU, namely 79.35 percent for Pekalongan City, 78.8 percent participation rate for Pekalongan Regency people.Meanwhile, Pemalang Regency, although the percentage level of community participation is below the national target, namely at 69.10 percent, this achievement is the highest in the history of elections in the region.Central Java province itself is at 74.34 percent voter turnout or 15,517,297 final voters lists (DPT) (KPU, 2020).
The level of public participation in the 2020 regional elections has increased compared to the 2015 regional elections, especially in the three regions.Pekalongan City experienced a 5.1 percent increase in voter turnout from 74.25 percent to 79.35 percent.Pekalongan Regency experienced an increase of 8.67 percent from 70.13 percent to 78.8 percent.Meanwhile, Pemalang Regency experienced an increase of 9.04 percent from 60.06 percent to 69.10 percent (KPU, 2020).The government's swift and decisive steps are considered appropriate and need to be commended regarding the implementation of the Pilkada which will still be held in 2020.In addition to obtaining definitive regional head leadership, success in increasing community participation is also a separate note.This cannot be separated from the policies taken by the government and strict supervision of the implementation of regional elections during a pandemic, for example policies related to health protocols in the implementation of regional elections as stipulated in PKPU Number 13 of 2020; then Presidential Decree Number 22 of 2020 regarding voting day as a national holiday (Keppres Nomor 22, 2020), and other policies which of course have a significant impact on the level of public participation.However, is it really because of a government policy that makes Indonesian citizens enthusiastic about coming to the voting booth or is there other factors outside of the policy.

METHOD
This research uses descriptive research with case studies.Descriptive research is done by first exploring data related to research.Data related to research means data that is capable of answering problems in accordance with the formulation of the problem, in this case the factors that influence the level of public participation in the elections and the quality of the implementation of the elections themselves.Next, the researchers presented data based on the level of community participation in regional elections in the midst of a pandemic that occurred in Pekalongan City, Pekalongan Regency and Pemalang Regency.The data that has been collected and presented is then described and analyzed using relevant theoretical studies.This is done to ensure that the data described and analyzed is comprehensive and accountable and has a deep and narrow focus.
In order to get a deep and narrow study focus, the researcher limits the research object.The object of this research is limited to the election management committee / KPU in three regions in Central Java, namely Pekalongan City KPU, Pekalongan Regency KPU and Pemalang Regency KPU and people who are registered with the DPT in Pekalongan City KPU, Pekalongan Regency and Pemalang Regency.Therefore the researcher has really looked at the data in the research object.
This study uses a qualitative approach, namely an approach that focuses on social phenomena in society.Through a qualitative approach, a better understanding of the complexities that exist in human interaction is obtained.This understanding is then described in narrative form according to what happened in the field.The researcher then conducted an analysis based on the theoretical framework and literature review relevant to the research findings.The results of the analysis are then used as instruments to draw research conclusions (Hardani, 2020).
Regarding the research that has been carried out, researchers have dug up information related to the level of participation and voter data in the Pilkada before the pandemic and in the midst of a pandemic that occurred in Pekalongan City, Pekalongan Regency and Pemalang Regency based on the problems that have been formulated.The findings in the field are described in narrative form as they are.Furthermore, an analysis was carried out using a literature review and the theoretical framework described earlier.The results of the analysis are then used as the basis for finding problems that can answer the problem formulation.Researchers then formulate policy formulations in order to provide input on the implementation of the upcoming Pilkada.
Research data analysis using interactive models.The first is data collection, and then after the data is collected, data reduction is carried out to select data that is not relevant to the research.The next step is presenting the data, which is presenting the reduced data as it is which is then analyzed using a literature review and a theoretical framework.Through this data analysis, research results are obtained which can be drawn into conclusions that are used to answer problematic problems.

RESULT
General elections, including regional head elections, are a logical consequence of a democratic state.According to Asshiddiqie, apart from being a manifestation of democracy and human rights (HAM), elections also aim to fill and carry out leadership succession in an orderly manner (Yusuf & Santiago, 2023).Democracy as a political concept is relatively new.In Ancient Greece, democracy was a concept despised by scientists and the educated elite.However, entering the 20th century, as the concept of the state matured, and many new states emerged, democracy slowly began to be accepted.It is not surprising that Aristotle concluded that democracy is a degenerate form of the Polity form of government, namely a form of government in which all citizens participate in managing the country with the intention of realizing general welfare (Isjwara, 1999).

General Elections as a Conceptual Framework for Upholding Democracy
Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United States, gave a statement "a government of the people, by the people, and for the people" which later became the basis of democratic theory.The theory was then analyzed by Pabotinggi that government has an autocentric paradigm, namely the people who must be the basic criterion of democracy.Or in the teachings of democracy known as vox populi vox dei, which places the voice of the people as the voice of God.
Democracy proposed by Abraham Lincoln is determined by several prerequisites as explained by Robert Dahl, Alfred Stephan and Juan J. Linz, namely (1) the existence of freedom to form and follow organizations; (2) freedom of expression; (3) freedom to choose in elections; (4) right to occupy public office; (5) the rights of leaders to compete for the people's support and votes; (6) availability of alternative sources of information; (7) free and fair elections; (8) the existence of institutions to make government policies dependent on votes in elections and the expression of other choices; and (9) the existence of a democratic constitution, which respects freedom and provides protection for the rights of minorities (Bao, 2022).
On the other hand, Sanusi identified ten pillars of constitutional democracy according to the 1945 Constitution, namely: "Democracy with Belief in One Almighty God, Democracy With Intelligence, Democracy with Sovereignty of the People, Democracy with the "Rule of Law", Democracy with the Distribution of Power State, Democracy with Human Rights, Democracy with Independent Courts, Democracy with Regional Autonomy, Democracy with Prosperity, and Democracy with Social Justice (Jamilah, 2018).
General election is a means of democracy to create good governance.According to Donald, as quoted by Tutik, elections are not everything related to democracy but are very important in the dynamics of the country.Elections have a major influence on the political system of a country.
The election of regional heads (Pilkada) as an integral part of elections is the anchor for the creation of good governance through a democratic election process.This is in accordance with the mandate of the 1945 Constitution Article 18 Paragraph (4) which states: "Governors, regents and mayors respectively as heads of provinces, districts and cities are democratically elected".In accordance with the mandate of the law that the success of regional elections can be measured by their implementation which is carried out democratically based on the principles of direct, general, free, confidential, honest and fair.So the benchmark for the quality of the implementation of regional elections is when the overall principles of democracy can be applied and carried out properly.The conceptual framework for direct election by the people is not only related to decentralization and regional autonomy, but also has a positive correlation with the realization of democratic regional government, empowerment and people's welfare.Although theoretically this argument can be debated, not a few academics believe that direct regional elections are a prerequisite for the realization of participatory, transparent and accountable local government (good governance).However, success or failure is very dependent on the commitment of relevant stakeholders in minimizing deviant behavior tendencies.

People's participation in Regional Head Elections
Participation is rooted in the word "part", according to Pidarta, participation is "the involvement of a person or several people in an activity" (Made, 2005).Participation is the involvement or participation of a person either individually or in groups in a particular activity.Meanwhile, according to Davis, as quoted by Sastropoetro, that participation can be defined as the mental involvement and feelings of a person to contribute to the group in an effort to achieve goals and take responsibility for the business concerned (Sastroputro, 1988).Society, in this case also called citizens, is a group of people who live together in an area.Society in Latin is called socius which means "everything related to social life".In society there are symbols, values, norms and rules that are normative that must be maintained and obeyed by every member of society (Putri, 2020).According to Soekanto, society is residents who form a group and live together in such a way.The basics of society are locality and common feelings.
People's participation refers to the real participation of the community in an activity.People's participation is a right that everyone has to take part in decisionmaking in the stages of the activity process, starting from the initial planning, implementation, and supervision.Here the community is not only the recipient of facilities and benefits but as the subject of sustainable development (Dewi, 2013).
Participation (in the sense of involvement) of the community in development programs and so on can be comprehensive, covering all stages of the program, or only in certain parts or stages.Participation is more precisely interpreted as a person's participation in a social group to take part in community activities, outside of his own work or profession.
Meanwhile, according to Milbrath quoted by Rush & Althof, it provides various reasons regarding one's participation, namely: First, with regard to receiving political incentives.Milbrath stated that one's openness and sensitivity to political stimuli through personal contacts, organizations and through the mass media has an influence on one's participation in political activities.Second, with regard to a person's social characteristics.It can be mentioned that economic status, ethnic characteristics, age, gender and belief (religion).A person's character based on these factors has a relatively large influence on political participation.Third, namely to summarize the nature and party system in which the individual lives.Someone who lives in a democratic country, political parties tend to seek the support of the masses and fight for the interests of the masses, so that the masses tend to participate in politics.Fourth, there are regional differences.This difference is an environmental aspect that influences differences in individual character and behavior.The regional differences also encourage differences in political behavior and political participation (Rush & Althoff, 2005).From the explanation above, it can be concluded that the benchmarks for community participation in regional elections include more or less: planning, implementation, maintenance of results, utilization of results, and monitoring and evaluation of election implementation.So that if there are people who are involved or take a role in all of these stages it is categorized as active political participation, and if it is the other way around, it is categorized as passive political participation (Amirin, 2005).Meanwhile, according to Sanit, as stated by Amirin, if community participation is only forced or participatory and is not yet a party that determines the direction of development, then the level of community participation is categorized as low and is categorized as high otherwise.
Public participation as voters is the most important part in the success of elections, as well as with simultaneous local elections.A high level of participation can show people's awareness of the importance of being involved in politics in a practical way to build and think about the destiny of the nation.According to Conyers, there are three main reasons why community participation is very important.First, community participation is a tool to obtain information about the conditions, needs and attitudes of the local community, without which development programs and projects may fail.Second, the community trusts a development project or program more if they feel involved in the preparation and planning process, because they know more about the ins and outs of the project and have a sense of ownership of the project.Third, there is an assumption that a democratic right can be fulfilled if the people are involved in the development of their own social order.It can be felt that they also have the right to participate in providing advice in determining the type of development carried out (Conyers, 1991).
Community political participation in elections also determines the direction and progress of a nation.The quality of political participation is largely determined by the factor of whether all people who have fulfilled the right to vote can vote, whether people are given access or convenience in choosing and whether people can choose quality leaders based on faith and trust in the candidate they choose.The simultaneous regional elections that will be held in 2020 are different from the previous elections.If in the previous year the Pilkada only took care of the pilkada stages until the election of the regional head, it is different from the 2020 simultaneous regional elections which were held on December 9 2020 which were carried out in the midst of the Covid-19 virus pandemic.This raises a lot of concerns about the level of voter turnout.Restrictions on social space, the increasing number of positive confirmation cases, and fears of transmitting the virus by coming directly to the polling stations (TPS) are challenges for the organizers of the simultaneous local elections in 2020.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 or Covid-19 is a positive single strain RNA virus, encapsulated and not segmented.It is also called a zoonotonic virus, namely a virus that is transmitted from animals to humans.When transmission to humans occurs, the virus will replicate in the upper respiratory tract epithelial cells to carry out its life cycle (Yuliana, 2020).Covid-19 is currently receiving serious attention from the World Health Agency (WHO) and the medical sector in all countries.This is not only because of its rapid spread and potential collapse of health systems, but also because of the wide variety of clinical manifestations in patients (Vollono, 2020).
Covid-19 was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China around the end of December 2019.There were five patients being treated with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) (Susilo, 2020).This virus was declared a pandemic by WHO on March 12 2020, (Fitriani, 2020) about two months before the issuance of Perppu Number 2 of 2020 as the basis for implementing the Simultaneous Regional Elections which was signed on May 4 2020.Confirmed data for Covid-19 in Indonesia on April 30 2020 confirmed there were 347 people who are positively infected (Satgas, 2021).
The rescheduling of the simultaneous regional elections to be held in December 2020, which was previously scheduled for September 23, 2020, was considered by some to be unrealistic.Due to the fact, until December 2020 the number of positive cases of Covid-19 continued to increase nationally.Many people are worried that if the local elections are still held in December 2020 it could actually become a new cluster for the spread of Covid-19.
Many think that the decision of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to continue to carry out the Simultaneous Pilkada in 2020 is considered wrong if it refers to the study of emergency constitutional law.The basis for those who reject the implementation of regional elections as contained in Law Number 10 of 2016 concerning the second amendment to Law Number 1 of 2015 concerning the Election of Governors, Regents and Mayors, in fact there is a mechanism that can be carried out if there are conditions that force or allow the regional head elections to be postponed.The options are in the form of further elections and follow-up elections.The determination of this state of emergency is still within the scope of staatsnoodrecht, where the state is required to issue policies to deal with emergency situations (Hasbullah, 2022).
Covid-19 is a newly discovered disease, therefore knowledge regarding prevention is still limited.The spread of the virus from human to human is the main source of transmission so that the spread becomes more aggressive.Transmission of Covid-19 from symptomatic patients occurs through droplets that come out when coughing or sneezing.The key to prevention, according to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, as quoted by Susilo, includes breaking the chain of transmission through isolation, early detection and carrying out basic protection (Susilo, 2020).The WHO recommendation in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak is to carry out basic protection, which consists of washing hands regularly with alcohol or soap and water, keeping a distance from someone who has symptoms of coughing or sneezing, practicing coughing or sneezing etiquette, and seeking treatment when you have a complaint.according to the suspect category.The recommended distance to be maintained is one meter.
However, the efforts of the Regional KPU to convince voters or the public that the holding of regional elections remains safe in the midst of a pandemic by paying attention to health protocol procedures have produced brilliant results.The level of community participation in the Pekalongan Pilwalkot reached 79.35%, the Pekalongan Pilbup 78.8%, these two regions exceeded the national target at 77.5%.While the Pilbup Pemalang, even though it was below the national target, which was at 69.10%, was the highest in the history of the regional election.
When compared to the level of community participation in the previous elections, in 2015 these three regions experienced an increase in terms of community participation, namely Pekalongan City experienced a 5.1 percent increase in voter turnout from 74.25 percent to 79.35 percent.Pekalongan Regency experienced an increase of 8.67 percent from 70.13 percent to 78.8 percent.Meanwhile, Pemalang Regency experienced an increase of 9.04 percent from 60.06 percent to 69.10 percent (KPU, 2015).
Pemalang Regency, although the level of community participation in 2020 is below the Regency and City of Pekalongan, the increase in the percentage of voters from the previous regional elections was the highest.The voter participation rate in the 2020 Election of the Regent and Deputy Regent of Pemalang reached 96.8% of the final voter list that exercised their right to vote.The high level of participation of the Pemalang people in the 2020 Pilkada is partly due to the factor of being at home (stay at home), this can be compared to the previous regional elections where many people migrate or work outside the area so they cannot be present to vote.
Meanwhile, the high level of community participation in Pekalongan Regency and City is due to the large number of people who work at home or where work is within reach.In addition, the high level of public awareness of their obligations as citizens is also a factor in the level of community participation in regional elections.

DISCUSSION
Based on Davis' theory, the level of community participation in regional elections in Pemalang Regency, Pekalongan Regency and Pekalongan City is in the high category.This is because the mental involvement and feelings of the people in giving their voting rights is an effort to achieve good and credible government and is also responsible for the success of the regional election.This can also be observed from the reasons why people participate in regional elections, namely 73.3% of people vote because of their awareness as an obligation.

Factors Affecting the Level of People's Participation in Regional Head Elections
To maintain the target of voter participation in voting during a pandemic, the KPU must act professionally by determining strategic steps that are able to provide an understanding to the public to be aware of their rights and obligations as citizens.In 2015, when there was no pandemic, there were no significant obstacles to socializing the implementation of the regional elections because there were no rules limiting mass gatherings.The obstacles they face are usually around the terrain or roads leading to villages or sub-districts that are remote and out of reach.However, in the 2020 regional elections, the KPU is faced with the challenge of overcoming the spread of Covid-19 as stated in KPU Regulation (PKPU) Number 13 of 2020 concerning the second amendment to General Election Commission Regulation Number 6 of 2020 concerning the implementation of elections for governors and deputy governors, regents and representatives regents, and/or mayors and deputy mayors simultaneously continuing in the non-natural disaster conditions of the corona virus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the KPU is trying to implement health protocols by reducing face-to-face meetings or prioritizing the campaign process through social media or online (PKPU Nomor 13, 2020).Some of the efforts taken by the Regional KPU to reduce the risk of the spread and transmission of the corona virus are quite diverse, including holding various competitions such as making posters, writing, Jingle Dance, Unique TPS and several other events such as selecting regional election ambassadors, by promoting them through the website or social media YouTube, Instagram , facebook and twitter.This is an effort so that the socialization of the implementation of the election can be accepted by the community as well as an effort to prevent transmission of the corona virus.
The KPU's efforts to socialize through social media turned out to be quite successful when seen from the enthusiasm of the residents who took part in competitions and took part in activities organized by the Pekalongan Regency KPU, Pemalang Regency KPU and Pekalongan City KPU.This was also marked by the increased level of public participation in the 2020 regional elections when compared to the 2015 regional elections where the use of network-based social media was still quite minimal.
Socialization of the election implementation using social media turned out to be quite effective, because the information conveyed to the public was not immediately lost but could still be accessed anytime and anywhere.It's different if the socialization is only carried out directly, in this case gathering the masses then from the KPU explaining or conveying the socialization and election stages at a certain time and place, it is considered less effective because the public can only access information at that time (limited access), and when there are problems or questions about the regional election, the accessibility is also limited.In contrast to social media devices that can be accessed at any time.
In general, the factors that influence the level of community participation in regional elections in the three regions (Pekalongan City, Pekalongan Regency and Pemalang Regency) are the high awareness of the people to choose leaders for change and progress in their regions which have the potential to change the welfare of the citizens.Most people are aware of the impact on their choices and can read what policies are made by the candidates who will be elected later.
Apart from having the principle of advancing their region, some voters want to be part of the historical perpetrators of regional election implementation in the midst of a pandemic.Several other factors that affect the level of public participation in the Pilkada include: a.The figure of the candidate pair and the formulation of work programs, b.Mass media coverage carried out massively in every stage of the election, c.Technical changes to the implementation of voting that are considered unique, d.Dissemination of the implementation of the health protocol continues to be intensified by the committee so as to foster trust in the community.
The level of voter turnout in the 2020 Pilkada in three regions (Pekalongan City, Pekalongan Regency and Pemalang Regency) that deserves appreciation is the high awareness of the community to exercise their right to vote as a citizen's obligation with a percentage of 73.3% (for the City and Regency of Pekalongan) and 61, 5% (Pemalang Regency), followed by other reasons, namely as a citizen's right (23.8%), making changes (7.5%), following suggestions/recommendations from figures (3.3%), influencing policy making (0.5%), and following other people's choices (0.3%).Meanwhile, the reason for people not exercising their right to vote is because they are still in a Covid-19 pandemic situation of 1.5%.Another reason for residents not exercising their right to vote is that the regional elections are useless or only benefit certain groups (0.3%) and there is no desired pair of districtcawabup candidates (0.3%).Another reason relates to the technical implementation of the regional election, that is, there are residents who are not registered in the DPT (0.3%) and do not receive an invitation letter to vote (0.3%).
From the results of interviews and questionnaire data, it was found that the stages of implementing regional elections in the midst of a pandemic always comply with health protocols.This is in accordance with WHO recommendations in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak, namely carrying out basic protection, which consists of washing hands, maintaining distance and wearing masks.Almost all residents involved in implementing the 2020 local elections in three regions (Pekalongan City, Pekalongan Regency and Pemalang Regency) pay attention to and comply with health protocols.

Pilkada in Siyasa Perspective
The concept and practice of state politics are not regulated in detail in the main sources of Islam (the Qur'an and Sunnah), although it is believed that Islamic teachings are kaffah (perfect and complete).If a deeper study is carried out, Islam has regulated the state system even though it is only the principles or principles, while the system is left to humans to determine it.
The formation of a state depends on the form, level of relations, and the prevailing level.In a country, one can find a relationship of reciprocal influence between institutions and society.Universally, Islamic political thought is contained in siyasafiqh which means: "to rule, to administer, to manage, to control".The term siyasa is understood as politics as well as statecraft, or a term that refers more to expertise or skill, and not a doctrine or philosophy (Umardani, 2019).The special field that examines state affairs is fiqh siyasa dusturiyyah.
The fundamental pillar for a state in Islam is the shura which includes freedom and democracy.This is according to the word of Allah SWT. in the letter al-Shura verse 38: "And (for) those who accept (obey) the call of their Lord and establish prayer, while their affairs are (decided) by deliberation between them; and they spend part of the sustenance that We give them." In Islamic political terminology, shura means the people's right to participate in social and political life along with power.This is what makes Islam reject dictators, authoritarian and totalitarian.
State government in the study of fiqh siyasa function organize social life, avoid chaos and hostility.The leader has a role as a substitute for the prophet who is in charge of maintaining the benefit of the people or the goodness of life and guarding religion (Mawardi, 2006).So the election of regional heads if the country is in a precarious / unstable condition in the perspective of fiqh siyasa is an obligation.
Elections (Pilkada) implementation during the pandemic from the siyasa perspective is in line with the Indonesian government's stipulation, namely that it will still be implemented.as conveyed by the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Human Rights, Mahfud M.D., one of the reasons is because the government does not want the 270 regions to be led by executors (Plt.) who cannot make strategic policies, whereas in a situation dealing with a pandemic, necessary steps strategic steps (Tempo, 2020).
This rule explains that government policy must be in line with public interest, where regulations are made for the benefit all the people.This is as agreed in the fiqh rules (qawaid fiqh) that: ‫بالمصلحة‬ ‫منوط‬ ‫الرعیة‬ ‫علي‬ ‫التصرف‬ "The government's attitude towards its people must be in accordance with benefit."(Djazuli, 2019) To achieve the benefit of the people, a society must have leaders.According to Mawardi, choosing a leader is fardhu kifayah.This obligation is borne by the community not as individuals, if some members of society do not want to choose leaders then the sin will be borne by the whole society.This means that the people have committed immorality and neglected the obligations commanded by Allah.This hadith shows the importance of a leader in a group, as well as leading a nation or region.

CONCLUSION
Based on the results of research on the level of community participation in the 2015 and 2020 regional elections in Pekalongan City, Pekalongan Regency and Pemalang Regency, it can be concluded that the factors that influence the level of community participation are: First, high public awareness to choose leaders for change and progress in their region which has the potential to change citizen welfare; Second, the figure of the candidate pairs and the formulation of work programs; Third, socialization through the mass media which is carried out massively in every election stage; Fourth, technical changes to the implementation of voting which are considered unique; and Fifth, dissemination of the implementation of the health protocol which the committee continues to intensify so as to foster trust in the community.
The quality of the local elections in Pekalongan City, Pekalongan Regency and Pemalang Regency in 2020 has also increased compared to the regional elections in 2015.This can be seen from the participation of the people who do not just enliven or join in without knowing the purpose of the regional elections, but they play a role active and directly involved in the activities of the stages of the implementation of regional elections as well as overseeing the implementation of regional elections properly and in accordance with the principles of direct, public, free, confidential, honest and fair.As stated by Amirin, the benchmark for community participation in regional elections includes more or less: planning, implementation, maintenance of results, utilization of results, and monitoring and evaluation of election implementation.
The implementation of the 2015 and 2020 local elections in Pekalongan City, Pekalongan Regency and Pemalang Regency was quite good and successful, but there were several problems found in the field, namely that there were residents who did not exercise their right to vote in the regional elections.This problem is dominated by those who work outside the region.To anticipate this, the government, in this case the KPU, should make efforts to accommodate residents who work outside the region so they can exercise their right to vote, for example by voting/election electronically (e-voting) or sending documents electronically.This is also input for other regions that wish to hold regional elections during a pandemic or not during a pandemic.
In the siyasa perspective, the election of regional leaders is an obligation, especially in crucial conditions that require strategic policies to address public interests and health.Therefore, holding regional elections during a pandemic is even more mandatory so that the handling of the pandemic can be resolved more quickly to fulfill the benefit of the people.This is in line with the hadith of the Prophet that even in small groups we are told to appoint leaders.
Direct election is an effort to form a democratic government because people are given the right to vote directly.Here, people are free to choose the best according to each person's beliefs.Regulations related to the implementation of Pilkada are regulated in General Election Commission Regulation (PKPU) Number 14 of 2015 concerning the Election of Governors and Deputy Governors, Regents and Deputy Regents, and/or Mayors and Deputy Mayors with One Pair of Candidates.