Educators who have obtained sufficient information about the context within which they intend to operate must develop a general approach to their programmes. This general approach, or strategy, provides an operating framework within which educational objectives can be established and operating paradigms determined.

While there are theoretical commonalities, whether the educator is responsible for Voter Information, Voter Education or Civic Education, there are also differences among them. These nuances are discussed in the section on Basic Ideas and Definitions of Voter Information, Voter Education and Civic Education This section of the topic area outlines matters educators have to address in a general strategy.

Because the word "education" has become loaded with many meanings and nuances, it appears more neutral to think of voter education as primarily a communication problem - a. A message is created and then it is communicated to willing recipients. Irrespective of the problematic nature of this concept itself, voter and civic education are indeed educational enterprises. Both involve people, knowledge, experience and power. They result in learning, understanding, and changes in the world and personal behaviour.

It is essential that educators consider, therefore, the educational strategy they intend to adopt for the whole programme. A clear strategy enables them to bring together the necessary resources in a cost-effective way.  It equally enables educators to communicate to the broad audience of learners, stakeholders, partners, individual practitioners and producers.

This section looks primarily at informal and adult educational strategies. While some of these have classroom implications, they are more suited to the national education programmes that are required in countries that are engaged in building and sustaining democracy. The topic area leaves open the possibility that all countries may consider this a necessary prerequisite for democracy.

In order to provide some information to assist in developing the educational strategy, this section considers Educational Theory, ways of organising (see Organisation), different general methodological options (see Methodology Selection), and the question of the relationship between message development and educational needs (see Message Development) and curriculum development.