The following graphic
resource shows the diverse scope and inter-relation of civic education, voter
education and voter information, as outreach strategies to address citizens and
voters. Through these outreach strategies, EMBs, other public entities and
civil society groups can promote gender equality and women’s participation in
the electoral process.
Civil society organizations, political parties and the media are
likely to play a part in delivering all types of voter outreach. In UNDP’s 2012
EMB survey, 77 percent of respondents stated that they had provided awareness
campaigns with civil society organizations.[1]
Voter outreach can target the voting population at large or be
tailored to particular groups. When the voter outreach program is delivered to
the general population, it is important that gender equality considerations be
mainstreamed into the messages and delivery. Outreach materials should show
women of all ages participating in every task and in every role – as
registration and polling staff, as observers and security forces, as
registration applicants and as voters. In the EMB survey, only half of the
respondents said that they mainstreamed gender in voter information.[2]
While outreach programs are generally delivered to all potential
voters, targeted programs are being designed and delivered in many countries to
reach particular groups such as women, youth and indigenous people. In the EMB
survey, 54 percent of respondents said that they had provided voter education
targeted at women. With respect to gender equality, there are two very
important messages to be communicated: first, that women have the right to vote
and stand for election and that their participation often needs to be
encouraged; and second, that the ballot is secret – no one else needs to know
how an individual’s vote has been cast. In the EMB survey, 80 percent of
respondents said that they had provided education on secrecy of ballot and
combating family voting.[3]
Delivery methods are important in terms of the effectiveness of
reaching the target audience, the ease with which the audience can understand
the message and the extent to which that delivery method is taken seriously.
Literacy is one important consideration, as is access to media. Women remain
disproportionally affected by illiteracy in all parts of the world and, in some
regions, girls face considerable difficulties acquiring basic reading and
writing skills.
Using a range of different delivery methods for the same message will
have a greater impact than using just one delivery method. Common delivery
methods for civic and voter education may include in-person sessions; radio and
other audio messages; mock elections or polling day rehearsal; song, drama and
videos; resource centers; and information and communication technology.[4]
In many countries, students are targeted through the school
curriculum to provide civic and voter education. Providing voter outreach in
schools is one way to encourage civic engagement from a young age and to
promote gender equality. In the EMB survey, 63 percent of respondents said that
they had provided civic education in schools.[5]
Example: In Burundi, the “Vote and Be Elected” campaign
trained almost 260 women to work around the country and educate other women
about registration and voting and to support female candidates to develop their
campaigns.[6]
Example: In Lebanon, the “Use Your Voice” nationwide media
campaign “aimed at promoting women’s participation in the electoral process.
The campaign featured five prominent Lebanese women who appeared on television,
radio, public transportation, and billboard advertisements.” The campaign was
organized by the National Democratic Institute and the Lebanese Association for
Democratic Elections.[7]
Example: In Albania, the
Central Election Commission (CEC) has taken several measures to prevent family
voting. There is an ongoing need, particularly in rural areas, to raise
awareness about women’s rights, gender equality and women’s political rights.
Civic and voter education campaigns are implemented by CEC in media (TV and
newspapers), designed with specific outreach to women voters.[8]
Furthermore, messages that women have the right to vote for the candidate of
their choice were delivered in humorous TV ads that were developed by the CEC
and the National Platform for Women.[9]
Example: In Tanzania, one
component of the UNDP voter education program was to encourage women to
register, using radio, newspaper adverts and a leaflet. The “Women and Election 2010”
booklet encouraged women to stand as candidates and to vote. The booklet
reminded women that it is their right to choose the candidate that they want to
vote for. It also contained details about pregnant women, nursing mothers,
women with disabilities and elderly women having the right to get preference
and support from election administrators on Election Day. Messages encouraging
women to vote were repeated on TV, radio, in newspaper and on posters.[10]
Example: In Costa Rica, training takes place in schools,
colleges and universities. Civic education is given not only on the exercise of
voting, but also about democratic values, active citizenship and participation.
Example: In Georgia, sixteen regional resource centers were created to
support the involvement of the public in the electoral process, to raise the
levels of voter education and improve the links between the election
administration and stakeholders in the regions. Citizens have the opportunity
to meet and to use the facility for training, networking, discussion and other
relevant initiatives. Primary targets are women and the young generation of
national minorities residing in the country. A number of the centers are
established in targeted geographic zones with high populations of ethnic
minorities.[11]
Example: In South Africa, a film was created about women in rural areas
and the problems they face and how to organize voter education in those areas.
The film was disseminated widely and shown on mobile video units in areas that
did not have TV access.[12]
For more information on
this topic, please see related content of the ACE Project, including:
In a number of countries,
EMBs and civil society groups have launched civic and voter education campaigns
to educate voters and the general public on the importance of LGBTI rights and
to motivate the participation of this community in the electoral process. In
some cases, civic and voter education campaigns aimed at providing citizens
with information on the candidates’ positions on LGBTI rights, holding
candidates accountable before their electorate and helping voters make an
informed choice. Some civic and voter education campaigns are specifically
addressed to LGBTI persons, with the purpose of motivating their participation
as voters. In the case of campaigns especially addressed to transgender and
gender non-confirming people, key messages often deal with ID requirements and
procedures, in order to facilitate the identification process in polling
stations.
Example: In Guatemala, the Department for Social Inclusion of the TSE
developed a voter education campaign to promote the vote of LGBTI persons in
the 2018 referendum on the territorial and maritime dispute with Belice, for
which 10.000 posters were printed. Furthermore, since 2016, the Department for
Social Inclusion has organized sensitization and training workshops in schools,
addressing human rights issues, specifically the importance of guaranteeing the
political and civic participation of all people, regardless their gender
identity and sexual orientation. Since 2018, the TSE Department for Social
Inclusion has been implementing the Training Programme for Civic and Electoral
Trainers (Programa de Formación para Formadores Cívico-Electorales), which is
offered to teachers in schools and is based on a gender and inclusion approach,
addressing human rights of women, LGBTI persons and other under-represented
groups. In addition to these civic and voter education activities, the
Department for Social Inclusion of the TSE contributed to the creation of the
Youth for Inclusion and Democracy Network, which has provided members of the
LGBTI community with training and capacity building in at least eight regional
departments, covering a wide range of topics, such as civic engagement, human
rights, voter registration, advocacy and the legal framework, among others.[1]
Example: In Lebanon, where same-sex relations are criminalized, the
Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality launched a voter education campaign
for the 2018 general elections, aiming at informing voters’ on the candidates’
stances towards human rights of LGBTI persons. This campaign included a series
of videos that were posted on social media networks and a website profiling the
candidates’ positions on LGBTI rights.[2]
For the first time, this issue was part of the country’s public debate, with
numerous candidates calling publicly for the decriminalization of
homosexuality.[3]
Example: In the framework of the 2018 Colombian legislative and
presidential elections, LGBTI groups launched the voter education campaign
“Vote for Equality 2018” (Voto por la Igualdad 2018), with two main goals: a)
inform voters on the candidates’ proposals for equality and nondiscrimination;
and b) give visibility to openly LGBTI candidates. Civil society groups that
launched this initiative included Caribe Afirmativo, Colombia Diversa,
Santamaría Fundación, EgoCity and Sinsetiido. They received support from the
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the LGBTQ Victory Institute, the National Democratic
Institute, the Netherlands Institute for Multi-Party Democracy and the
Observatory for the Political Participation of LGBTI persons in Colombia.[4
Example: In Serbia, domestic civil groups Queeria and Izadji (Come
Out) developed a voter education project in 2012, with support from NDI, aiming
at monitoring statements of candidates and political parties on LGBTI issues
and informing citizens about their positions on this matter. The project’s
partners launched the Pink Ballot website (Roze Listici), providing information
on the candidates’ stances, and conducted an online survey within the LGBTI
community on policy priorities.[5]
Example: In Canada, the youth organization Speqtrum Hamilton launched
the voter education campaign #ONTransVoters on social media, aiming at
promoting the participation of transgender voters in the 2018 Ontario
elections. Their messages mainly focused on required ID for transgender voters,
postal voting, voter registration procedures and motivation to vote.[6]
Example: In the United States of America, the National Center for
Transgender Equality launched the voter education campaign “Voting While Trans”
in 2012, which provided information to transgender voters on registration
procedures, ID requirements, vote-by-mail procedures, as well as complaint
mechanisms in case they were not allowed to vote, such as reaching out to
volunteer attorneys in polling stations or calling a special hotline. In the
framework of this campaign, the Center uploaded videos on social media with
personal stories of transgender citizens and developed a checklist for voters
representing this community. According to this organization, new ID laws could
have restricted the participation of transgender people to a great extent,
preventing them from voting. For this reason, the campaign also raised
awareness on the importance of making sure that the name and address in the ID
matched voter registration data.[7]
Example: In Guatemala, ahead of the 2015 elections, IFES supported
the TSE in conducting a television, radio and online voter education campaign
to promote the registration of women, LGBTI persons and young voters. This
campaign also included a strategy known as “No to vote manipulation”, which
aimed to sensitize women and LGBTI persons through performing arts on the
importance of exercising their right to vote without pressure or coercion.[8]
Example: In Haiti, IFES worked in partnership with the LGBTI
organization KOURAJ from 2016 to 2017, to promote LGBTI civic engagement and
participation in the electoral process. A number of awareness workshops were
organized for members of this community. Over 400 LGBTI persons participated in
these get-out-the vote sessions. Furthermore, this imitative included the
development of a poster to promote LGBTI participation in the electoral period.
As shown below, the poster pictures two same-sex couples going towards a
polling station and contains the following message: “Gay and lesbians, we are
Haitian men and women, let’s vote to fulfill our civic duty.”
[1] Information provided by
Guatemala’s TSE in February 2019.
[5] National Democratic
Institute (2014): “Civic Update. Political Inclusion of the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Population”, January 2014.
See:
https://www.ndi.org/civic_update
[8] IFES: “Guatemala: Acciones de IFES para promover el voto de la mujer y
la población LGBTI.”
[1] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 94-95.
[2] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 96.
[3] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 97.
[4] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 100.
[5] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 99.
[6] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 95.
[7] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 95.
[8] Lefterije Luzi, Chair of the Central Elections Commissions,
Albania, 2014.
[9] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 97.
[10] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 98.
[11] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 102..
[12] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 101.
[1] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 93.
[2] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 93.
