Where security forces are going to be heavily involved in voting operations security, and particularly in societies emerging from conflict or in transition to democracy where security forces may have been closely associated with particular political participants, it is imperative that they receive training in appropriate general behaviour and emergency responses during the election period.
In low security-risk environments, where security forces have a tradition of political neutrality, general electoral management body and security force liaison, or the activities of operations centres, may be sufficient to make specific election training for security forces superfluous.
Training Content
What is vitally important is that security forces members fully understand the impact their actions--intentional or unintentional, while on election security duties or not--may have on perceptions of freedom and fairness of the election process.
Implementation of training on emergency response tactics and operations, following strategies agreed by the security forces and the electoral management body, is a matter for security force commands. However, it is useful for electoral management bodies to have input into course content, especially with regard to treatment of voter and candidate/party rights issues, and to monitor that training is undertaken to the extent and in the manner intended.
There is generally little necessity for security forces to be familiar with the detail of voting and counting procedures. However, a general understanding of voting operations processes, and a thorough knowledge of what constitute offences under election laws and rules, is essential.
Electoral management body advice in the preparation of relevant training material and sections of security force manuals can be of considerable assistance and will ensure that the training is conducted on a basis of correct understanding of electoral procedures.
Issues to be Covered
Specific issues that would be included in security forces training programs include:
• expected performance standards of security forces in relation to human rights and elections;
• a summary of the environment for the election, election/voting operations processes, logistics, and voting arrangements;
• methods of providing voting operations security in a disciplined, low profile, and professional manner;
• liaison arrangements and communications strategies with electoral management bodies and officials, including emphasis that security force members are at the service of and act at the request or direction of election officials regarding election security;
• details of potential threats to election security (to voters, political participants, community organisations, and officials) identified from risk assessments as relevant to the pre-voting day, voting day, and post-voting day periods;
• threat response strategies, including simulations where practicable;
• details of plans of action and deployment strategies relevant to the training session participants;
• particularly in societies emerging from conflict, the specific security needs for the initial meetings of elected institutions.
Emphasis in the performance standards training module should be placed on issues such as:
• requirements for fundamental respect for all human rights in election security matters;
• avoidance of intentional or unintentional acts of intimidation, discouragement of participation, or prevention of legally-sanctioned access to voting operations services by voters, electoral administrators, polling officials and political participants and their supporters;
• strict requirement for neutral and non-partisan behaviour during the election period and in responses to all election situations;
• accountability of security forces for their actions.
It is important that there is extensive consultation between security forces management, electoral management bodies, and community or human rights groups in the development of training materials covering this content.
Method of Training
Given the large numbers of security force personnel to be trained, there is really no option but to use a cascade method for training.
Senior security force trainers would usually undertake the initial training of their own training staff. There is considerable value in using election managers, and human rights specialists, for delivering their relevant segments in such training sessions, and also being on hand to answer any election process questions. The numbers of levels in the cascade will depend on the complexity of administrative and geographical units within the security force structure.
However, a training or briefing contact officer within each security force unit, with election security responsibilities, will be essential as a conduit for briefings and any additional training materials and evaluations.
In societies emerging from conflict, or where security forces have a history of political alignment, training for security force trainers would generally be better conducted by international security trainers.
These international contractors can also continue to monitor that accurate guidelines continue to be conveyed throughout training programs, particularly with regard to human rights, professionalism, subordination to electoral managers, and neutrality issues.
Timing
Training in election security, and particularly its human rights aspects, is a worthwhile addition to normal security force training programs, from induction to senior promotion courses. Training for specific elections should be scheduled to coincide with the commencement of the earliest election activity.
Voter registration campaigns may require as much security as political campaigning, voting, ballot counting, and result announcement period.
