In general, there never seems to be enough money for voter education. An in-depth assessment should be made of all the resources that are already available in a country's infrastructure. And that assessment usually includes the ways in which these resources can assist, or in their absence hinder, the programme. There are a number of specific areas voter educators will want to consider as they gather information about the country in which they are working:
The education system: Understanding of the educational system will include basic information about the number and locations of primary, secondary and university-level institutions in order to identify possible voter education sites and target groups. An analysis of the national curriculum will identify whether there are existing educational materials and learner competencies that can serve as foundations for the voter education programme.
Mass media: A study of available mass media will provide both an analysis of available means of communications, their relative market share, characteristics of their audience, and the nature of their ownership, ie. public media outlets may be obligated under the law to provide free airtime for public service announcements such as voter education messages, while private media may or may not require payment. Power supply may also need to be taken into consideration as this will influence the choice and mix of media.
Delivery and distribution mechanisms: How will voter education messages be communicated, materials be delivered and distributed, trainers be deployed, and management and financial controls applied? Are there nationwide distribution networks? How reliable are these? What is the quality of the transportation infrastructure and what are the transportation options? Must distribution be handled on an ad hoc basis? Are there businesses or NGOs that could successfully assume distribution responsibilities? Are there specific groups that could help with the distribution of targeted materials?
Space: Since voter education involves both dissemination of information through the media and gathering people to participate in group learning, voter educators may want to assess what public facilities are available for people to meet, which locations are best suited to the types of techniques being employed (such as role playing), and the conditions under which people are accustomed to meeting. Special arrangements may also need to be made to reserve this space or to notify local officials of its use for voter education purposes. Lodging may also need to be found for trainers or those participating in training programs.
Additional Advantages
Knowledge of the country's or region's infrastructure may help identify a range of possible sites for voter education, introduce individuals and organisations to the programme, establish any regional and cultural differentiation which may need to be taken into account, and possibly identify certain marginal or high-risk areas where greater effort is required. It will be essential to document this assessment in a way that is useful to planners. As such, it should be brief, analytical, straight-forward, and easy to communicate. Much of the information may be readily available. If it is not, however, planners will have to weigh the costs of obtaining the information against the benefits of having it. In some cases, illustrative or intuitive overviews may be more useful for the purpose of planning voter education programmes.
How To Find Information
Certain government agencies may routinely need information about a country. They may be responsible for development, planning, or communications. Besides gathering such information, they may also be responsible for distributing it. Nationwide companies such as banks, mining companies, and large manufacturers are also likely to maintain such information. Some countries also publish yearbooks or other annual reports. And a number of NGOs, both domestic and international, and other organisations may also do the same.
Other Uses for Country Information.
An electoral authority can make use of country information in a variety of ways. Because of this, it may already have collected the information. If this is the case, the voter educators' task will be made easier. The interests of the various planners and administrators in the electoral authority may be different, however, than those of civil society.organisations. As such, voter educators in the latter cannot abdicate responsibility for preparing a country briefing suitable for their own programme. Such a briefing can be distributed to agencies taking on sections of the voter education programme, to NGOs being encouraged to develop programmes of their own, and, with modifications, to international education agencies and observer groups.
