Need for Voter Information
Voter information is necessary to ensure that electorate is adequately informed and provided with the correct information to enable them to cast their vote in a confident manner. Effective voter information on voting operations issues provides:
• voters participating in the election with information to make informed voting choices;
• a reduction in additional workloads on voting operations staff in assisting or re-directing voters in voting stations.
Before entering into a discussion on voter information it is important to note the difference between voter information and voter education.
While the distinction between voter information and voter education is in an artificial one generally voter information as indicated above, refers to information that voters need regarding when, where and how to vote.
Voter education provides prospective voters with information on the context in which elections take place within the overall democratic process, voters' rights and responsibilities, basic principles of the vote, indicators of free, fair and credible elections, and citizen participation through the democratic electoral process.
Some voter information issues, particularly on voting methods and procedures, are obviously also a part of voter education.
Unlike voter education, which is more effective as a continuous process, voter information's impact is going to be greatest when carefully timed to appear when voting interest is greatest, i.e., immediately before and during voting. Voter information needs do not cease at the close of voting. For confidence in the integrity of the election, open and mass availability of election results is a necessity, through such measures as:
• media broadcast and publication;
• availability of ballot count documents for public inspection;
• publication of result information documents by the electoral management body.
Standard Information Issues
Voter information contains some standard issues about which all voters will need to be informed, in order for them to participate in voting. In broad categories, these concern:
• who is eligible to vote;
• the range of methods of voting available;
• the location of voting sites and the hours of voting;
• basic voting station procedures, such as any documents a voter must bring to the voting station;
• how to cast a valid vote;
• the integrity of the voting and counting processes, including the conduct standards expected of political participants and election officials;
• parties and candidates contesting the election;
• the election results.
Voter information campaign should aim at providing all potential voters with accurate information on these issues.
Additional Issues in Specific Cases
Particularly for referenda and special format ballot, such as elections undertaken wholly by mail, the electoral management body is best placed to provide authorized statements to inform voters of:
• in the case of a referendum, the yes and no cases for propositions;
• candidates' platform statements.
In some jurisdictions, the electoral management body is required by law to provide such information to all voters at their registered addresses.
Reaching the Audience
The most cost-effective mix of means to reach the maximum voter audience with information needs to be carefully analyzed when determining voter information strategies. It would be very unusual for a single-track approach to providing information will be effective. Basic methods of imparting voter information include:
• general media - through mass or specific market media outlets, public signage and posters, information displays (see General Media);
• direct to individual voters - through delivery by mail, stocks of information leaflets in public places, meetings or briefings, telephone information services, inquiry offices, use of direct electronic means (see Information Direct to Voters);
• reinforcement of voter information at voting sites through use of posters, pamphlets, and assistance from staff.
• where appropriate technology is in place, by placing information on the electoral management body or relevant electoral supervising authority website.
• mixes of voter information delivery methods will be environment or context specific. Amongst other things, they will need to take into account:
• general literacy levels;
• language groups;
• levels of penetration and affordability of mass and electronic media;
• cultural and gender differences;
• use of and access to information communication technology;
• geographic terrain;
• patterns of transport and assembly of crowds.
Information formats should also be carefully considered for their effectiveness in imparting information to both voters as whole and specific target groups of voters.
Additional or modified voter information systems and materials for specific audience groups will be required to maintain equity and accessibility in the information provided for different groups, such as:
• women;
• different language groups;
• voters age groups, e.g. youth
• voters of lower literacy;
• the visually or aurally impaired;
• physically challenged;
• voters outside the country at the time of the election.
Research Based Strategies
Strategies accounting for these requirements can only be efficiently devised if based on thorough research. Evaluations of voter education programmes and information from voter educators are a significant source of useful data.
Further information to guide information targeting and appropriate methodology can come from both electoral management body sources, such as sectoral analyses of past data on voter turnout, invalid votes cast, redirections to different voting stations, or data from other sources, such as media penetration statistics, passenger transport data, mail reliability data.
Timing of Voter Information Campaigns
Voter information campaign timing will depend on the length of the election period and the timetable for specific activities occurring within this period.
Information on voting operations would generally be concentrated in the month before voting day. To maximize information retention, information campaigns should be planned so that broader and more general information is gradually refined to specific data in the few days before voter action is required.
This is important in the use of mass media. There may be many peaks for this, particularly where alternative methods of voting allow voting in advance of voting day. Where voter registration deadlines are within the voting operations period, information on these will form another peak for information.
Effective information targeting can only be achieved with advance planning. Effective campaign strategies, scheduling of media placements, design of effective materials require both research and testing.
Aiding Informed Media Comment
The media is an important channel of conveying information to voters. This includes:
• development of media information kits
• official briefing sessions for journalists and regular press releases during the voting operations period which can assist in developing accuracy in media reports of voting administration issues.
• the use of news stories (where accurate) resulting from media briefings can have a significant additional cost-effective impact in voter information campaigns.
Uncontrolled contact with the media, however, may do more harm than good. electoral management bodies should have a media strategy designed to ensure accuracy of media reporting and extract maximum benefit from the timing and content of news stories. (For further discussion of the elements of a media relations strategy, see General Media.)
• On voting day and during the count, the use of a media centre to act as a hub for information on voting progress and the count will concentrate media information demands in a single, manageable site. To gain maximum effectiveness, this should be the only site through which media briefings and information are provided.
This will free other voting operations staff from media demands during their busiest period and enable a broader perspective to be placed on information releases. In more developed environments, such centers could also contain facilities such as direct feeds to media organizations of computerized progress figures on the count.
• Producing guides for journalists and commentators by electoral management bodies reduces the chances of misinformation or misinterpretation of procedures being widely broadcast through the media.
• Handbooks for journalists similar to those produced for candidates may be considered.
• Where complex technical operations are involved, such as for computer-based voting or counting systems, special media handbooks to assist with informed comment may need to be produced.
Partisan Media
In societies where media or the major media outlets are controlled by the government or other political participants particular issues arise such as access to media for impartial news stories providing voter information without any political slant may be difficult. Post-edited stories for audio-visual media need to be approached with particular care where voting operations officials' participation is requested.
Official voter information will be the only unimpeachable information available where media are controlled by such political participants. It is important that media placements are controlled carefully so that they appear in an unamended form. Monitoring of media coverage of voter information is particularly important in such environments.
