Time spent understanding the voters who are eligible to participate in an election helps to ensure the voter education programme adequately meets the needs of the electorate, which is the ultimate purpose of the undertaking, and not just conforming with some pre-conceived notion of those charged with educating voters.
Even if there are regular elections, educators cannot assume they know everything there is to know about the particular electorate for the next election. First, there will always be people who will be voting for the first time. This may involve young people who have just reached the age requirement for voting. It may involve those who have recently been granted citizenship and are eligible to vote for the first time. Or it may even involve previously apathetic voters who have been energized by a particular issue, candidate, or political party get-out-the-vote (GOTV) effort.
In addition, neither a particular group of voters nor the electoral system itself should be considered static. Even those who vote regularly may have new concerns or may have developed new socioeconomic lifestyles. Such factors can make a difference both to the type of information that needs to be communicated and the method by which it is communicated. Also there may be changes to the electoral system, such as the application of new technologies or changes in ballot design to accommodate an increased number of candidates or public initiatives, that will need to be emphasized and explained through education.
The events in the State of Florida concerning the butterfly ballot, which took place during the 2000 presidential elections in the U.S., demonstrate how even in a relatively developed election system, inadequate voter education with respect to both experienced and first time voters can have significant ramifications relative to the efficiency of election administration, the efficacy of each vote, and the determination of election results.
In transitional societies and developing countries there will be a plethora of reasons to conduct voter education programmes. Due to the youthfulness of the population, expansion of the franchise, or the even the novelty of elections at all or some levels, there will be a significant number of first time voters. And the constitutional and legal framework for elections as well as procedures for registering to vote and voting, may be radically different than in the past.
In addition to the more specific information which will be considered in Assessing Voter Needs, education planners will want to get reliable demographic information that includes:
- where people live
- how many people live there
- cultural and religious norms
- literacy and schooling levels
- levels of voter participation in previous elections
