Written training materials, such as instruction sheets, manuals, or handouts, can take many forms and can be shaped to meet specific training needs. In general, written training materials should be short and easy to understand. To make the training as simple as possible, printed training material could illustrate the polling process by using illustrative features, such as diagrams, pictures, and step-by-step animation of the process. Clear examples and “What if” questions will help deal with difficult situations.

Another helpful tool is a “Problem solving” or “Quick Reference” manual, a manual that lists a series of potential problems which poll workers may encounter and which can be easily opened to the proper page when necessary. Manuals or handouts could also be used to highlight what is new since the last election and what has changed. Experienced staff will tend to skim over instructions assuming that they already know the system and therefore are able to carry out the required tasks. Highlighting new requirements and changed requirements in a manual or a handout can avoid many mistakes from being made.

Handouts are also useful to bring forward selected key topics that might be especially important in the case. Written training materials have always been and still are very common for EMB staff training. In some countries, however, training is complemented with instruction by electronic means.

Instructions

Instructions in the form of easy-to-read sheets or checklists have long been used in some countries to complement cascade training of some tiers of electoral staff, for example, polling station security officials, polling station staff, and counting staff. Such instructions can be made available in electronic format where facilities for this exist.

Training Manuals

Most EMBs rely on training manuals to impart skills to election officials. Manuals that are accurate, well written, and easy to interpret and apply are an indispensable training aid. It is effective to develop separate components of a manual to cover categories of staff with different duties, and to include in the manuals simple check lists of their essential tasks and a set of questions that trainees need to answer to verify their knowledge. Hard-copy manuals can be supplemented by soft copies from which additional materials can be printed. Sufficient copies of manuals can be printed to allow election officials to take them home after training, either for further reading or for reference while they are working. In Hungary, electronic training facilities are used, including an electronic manual and test on its contents.

EMBs can also consider producing manuals on electoral processes for their various stakeholders, such as political parties and candidates, party agents, the media, and election observers. The better understanding stakeholders have of the electoral processes, the easier a competent EMB’s work is likely to be.