Educators have to develop strategies to overcome any scepticism that learners may have about the voter programme and about the individuals delivering it.
Scepticism is Appropriate
Educators in situations of conflict, transition, and intense political polarization are invariably going to be asked who they are, where they come from, and how their message can be trusted. In situations where hospitality is an important value, these questions may be mute or moot, but they will be asked. And if it is not possible to obtain a satisfactory answer, whether or not the educational programme is a well conceived one or not, it will invariably have less effect. In some situations, it may even result in controversy that overwhelms the programme and makes it impossible to complete.
These questions are perfectly legitimate. Adults expect that learning is something to be entered into freely and they want to be able to choose for themselves. Where relationships are developed directly between the educator and the group of learners, it may be possible to overcome any scepticism with relative ease. Very often, however, voter education programmes are either self chosen social interventions on the part of organisations or institutions or they are conducted on behalf of a client who may or may not represent the views of the learner group or audience. This is perhaps most explicitly seen in educational interventions commissioned by employers for their employees - especially those who are unionised - but a dynamic of scepticism can emerge in other circumstances as well.
Developing Trust
Trust can be developed at close quarters by ensuring that all educational events include a suitable introduction of the educators and of the organisation from which they come. In some cases this is best done by the sponsor of the event. Educators will want to offer participants an opportunity to ask questions about the programme, and explore their expectations and the extent to which these are to be met. Having concluded a programme they will extend an invitation to participants to evaluate its success and to make recommendations for its improvement. Where education programmes do not have direct contact with learners, educators will have to initiate other strategies, and these more general strategies will enhance the direct contact.
Non-partisanship
Those contesting political power have every right to develop voter education and motivation programmes. An increasing number of voter education programmes in the United States of America, for example, seem primarily to be issue oriented and designed to influence voters (as a target audience) rather than education strictly in support of elections or the democratic process. But those who do intend to provide nonpartisan education and allow people to make up their own minds about contestants for power and about the manner in which they intend to deal with social, political, and economic issues will have to work out ways to differentiate themselves from partisan programmes. In order to do this they may resort to publicly stated nonpartisan aims and codes of conduct. They may also demand certain standards of their staff and make these public.
Sometimes an educator is being paid to deliver the programme not by the recipients but by someone else, such as an employer or a government department. Sponsorship of any voter education programme or a specific information product or educational activity should be made publicly available. In some cases, this may be required by law.
As importantly, they will make use of materials and methodologies that are democratic and that support the values that are being promoted as part of the content of the educational programme. Amongst these will be the inclusion of a variety of voices, the encouragement of debate, and a balance of power between learners and educators.
Organisational Credibility
Educators who represent an organisation, or are presumed to represent an organisation, will want to ensure that the credibility of that organisation is beyond reproach. This requires adherence to standards of professionalism in dealing with members of the public, in managing finances, and in dealing with its staff. It will require that the organisation remain true to its publicly stated mandate and the objectives of the voter education programme. In addition, educators will pay attention to the manner in which they manages their relationships with other organisations, suppliers, and clients. Organisations will pay attention to their public utterances and in particular to comments on the educational programme. Finally, because of the importance of publications in shaping public perceptions, educators will want to ensure that these are accurate, fair, and well produced.
Legitimacy
Elections provide governments with legitimacy. Educational programmes must ensure that they have obtained this legitimacy by a combination of careful negotiation over the establishment of the programme and ongoing coordination with respect to the implementation of the programme with participants.
Ensuring that the mandate has been confirmed and that any contracts have been carefully considered begins this process (see Educational Mandate), but unfortunately there are likely to be ongoing controversies over whether the education programme should be instituted by the particular organisation or set of organisations. This can apply even to an election management authority.
