Voter education is as dependent as any other form of education on underlying ideological considerations. Educators will need to manage differences between stakeholders and the impact of the dominant ideology on the programme that is developed.
Dealing with Differences
It is better if these ideological considerations are understood and made explicit by educators. But there are constraints. And there is often quiet collusion among the various stakeholders who want a voter education programme but have different interests in what it should achieve.
This collusion is not necessarily a bad thing. Just because there are some educators using the opportunity to stimulate organisations to become more democratic, others merely wanting the voting process to run smoothly on election day, and yet others seeking to build trust with voters so that in the future they can use this trust to conduct other educational, advocacy, or development programmes, should not mean they cannot cooperate. Nor does it mean that voters will receive disinformation.
There is a limit, however, to the divergences that are possible between educators. Indeed, if the divergences are too great, this will lead to competition, and in some cases, conflict. Judgements will have to be made about what is possible and what is not possible when there is such ideological distance between educators and, in turn, between them and contestants and election authorities.
In its crudest form, ideological distinctions are drawn between education that socializes and education that empowers. In the voter education arena, this crude distinction can provide some insight into the aims of voter education and the potential points of conflict.
Socialisation and Empowerment
Voter education can inculcate acceptance of a particular election system, motivate people to register and turn out to vote, give them the skills to cast their vote and to accept the outcome of the election.
At the same time, it may have the effect of promoting the status quo, by encouraging passive acceptance of a particular form or government or downplaying injustices in the social system. Civic education, likewise, can be primarily a means of socialising people to accept the dominant political and economic culture. This culture may be democratic, But a definition of civic education could be made that entirely precludes investigation into the underlying assumptions of this culture.
On the other hand, education could encourage critical questioning of the political and economic system. Voter education may seek to give participants an insight into the manner in which electoral results confer consent on a particular set of contestants and the implications of that consent for the manner in which they will subsequently be governed. Questions may be asked about the nature of the election, and the meaning of the terms "free and fair", in relation to a particular set of circumstances. Voters may be given the skills necessary to make choices amongst contestants.
Within these broader questions of socialisation and empowerment, educators may also select programmes that result in citizens requiring the educator's continued presence, or they may select programmes that make it possible for people subsequently to learn for themselves and to become independent of the educator.
Thus educators will want to examine their own motives and those of the programme that they are preparing. They will want to consider not only the specified programme outcomes but also the methodologies that they intend to use in order to ensure that these are consistent with their values.
