Training and education efforts are conventionally focused on (a) training for electoral officials on technical aspects of the preparation and implementation of electoral processes; and (b) educational campaigns for registrants and voters about their rights, duties, electoral timelines, and registration and voting procedures, inter alia. 

Deficiencies in the training of electoral officials, along with potential misunderstandings of the electoral process among political actors, the media and the general public, may raise tensions and contribute to deepening conflict and potential outbreaks of violence. Further, they may result in inadequate protection for populations that are especially vulnerable or are commonly subject to less well understood forms of electoral violence, such as women and disabled persons.

One of the main pillars of professionalism in electoral administration is the proper training and development of: permanent EMB staff; temporary management staff appointed for specific electoral events; and the large number of field staff that may be temporarily engaged for large-scale events.[1]

Poorly trained electoral officials may lack the basic understanding and skills to conduct professional voter registration, voting and counting processes. Technical mistakes committed during voter registration may affect the accuracy of the electoral registers, thus damaging the integrity of voting processes at the polling stations, and thereby the election results.
 

Empirical cases:

Somaliland presidential elections in 2008. In 2007 the parliament of Somaliland decided to mandate the National Election Commission (NEC) to implement a sophisticated dual identification voter registration system, with fingerprints and paper identification cards. The process was, however, marred by flaws, many of which were attributed to poor training of the staff that conducted the registration process. These weaknesses were exploited by individual voters and clan leaders to their advantage, which in turn led to clashes over the system’s viability. Due to fears of renewed conflicts the NEC resigned.[2] “When presidential elections scheduled for April 2008 were repeatedly postponed due to a problematic voter registration process, insufficiencies in the National Election Commission (NEC), and intransigence among the political parties, the president’s term of office was repeatedly extended by the Upper House of Elders (the Guurti). “As political tensions spilled over into violent street protests in September 2009, Somaliland faced its most severe political challenge since the civil war of 1994-1996”.[3]