International law and standards increasingly recognize the obligation of governments and publicly funded media to educate and inform voters about fundamental aspects of the electoral process.
These might typically include:
- how, when, and where to register as a voter
- how, when, and where to inspect the voters' roll
- how to make a complaint about the voters' roll or any other aspect of the election
- what the election is for - who is being elected
- what are the constituency boundaries
- where and when to vote
- how to mark the ballot so that the vote is considered valid
- that the vote is secret
It is essential that all voters are in possession of the basic information that they need to exercise their democratic rights. The obligation on governments to ensure participation in democratic elections "without discrimination" means that they are obliged to make a special effort to inform those who are at a particular disadvantage in exercising their democratic rights. Such groups may include:
- women
- racial, national, or ethnic minorities
- the poor, especially those who are illiterate
- people with disabilities
One of the strongest arguments in favour of public ownership of sections of the media is that this gives the public authorities the means to conduct programmes of information and education. Voter information, voter education, and civic education are among the most important examples of the public service role. National broadcasting stations, which are accessible to the illiterate and often to the relatively disadvantaged, play an especially important part in this.
However, this is also where the obligation on publicly-owned media to behave impartially becomes especially important. It is a fundamental principle of voter education that the information provided should be impartial and not favour any of the participants in the election.
