See ACE Topic Area: Civic and
Voter Education
CVE forms an important part of
educational activities. While civic education is a continuous process that is not specifically linked to an electoral cycle, voter education
is tied closer to individual electoral periods. Despite this broad
conceptual distinction, civic and voter education
are mutually reinforcing. By partnering with ministries and authorities responsible for education, EMBs can ensure that youth are reached
outside electoral periods and that the necessary knowledge is transmitted from
an early age.
CVE can be taught in the spheres of
school ethos, the formal curriculum, extra-curriculum programs and through
community service. Students can get engaged in decision-making processes
through meaningful youth voice forums and volunteer opportunities. EMBs can
support schools in numerous ways in bringing democratic values into practice by
setting up mock elections, debates, class and through student elections, among
other strategies.
EMBs in several countries have
established collaborations with schools to deliver effective voter and civic
education.
Example: In Honduras, the EMB signed an
agreement with the Ministry of Education to provide trainings to teachers in
primary and secondary schools to organize elections for student boards. By
organizing elections in schools from an early
age, students are learning about
democracy and electoral processes.
Example: In the lead-up to the 2018 national
elections, the Fijian
Elections Office (FEO) collaborated closely with the Ministry of Education in
developing a nation-wide voter education curriculum for 16-year-old students.
The roll-out of the programs included: teacher training; development of a
learning module (student workbook and teacher manual); accompanying resources,
including a mock election kit and a dedicated website; and integration of the
new curriculum into the updated national curriculum. Every Year 10 Fijian
student participated in the programs, which consisted of 10 classes delivered
intensively over a two-week period. See Annex: FEO Voter Education Case
Study.
Example: In Bhutan, 153 “democracy clubs” were established in 2012 in schools
and educational institutes to engage
and teach students
on their roles
and responsibilities in a democratic society. The clubs work as
“mini election commissions” in which they organize activities to teach students
about the country’s electoral system and seek to increase youth participation
in decision-making processes.[i] As part of an effort to further expand the role and impact of the
democracy clubs, student representatives from 153 clubs in 2015 signed a
constitution establishing a children’s parliament.[ii]
Many established EMBs develop a range
of CVE materials for children, youth and other target groups, as well as
research papers on the topic of CVE, which are freely available on their
websites. Materials are available in English from the EMBs in Australia, New
Zealand, Canada, various states in the U.S., South Africa, Kenya and from CVE
organizations and clearing houses. Also, educational organizations and
electoral assistance organizations, such as IFES and UNDP, also provide free
educational materials. ACE Electoral Materials includes examples
published in the 2010s.
For example, from the Mexican
election commission (in English):
See ACE Election Materials: Final report of the observatory
for civic education programs and promotion of youth vote in the federal
electoral process (published by Mexico Instituto Nacional Electoral).
See ACE Election Materials: Civic Education in the Kyrgyz
Republic (American University – Central Asia, Social Research
Center).
Voter Information, Communication, Education Network (VoICE.NET) is a global knowledge network for sharing
knowledge, resources, and expertise on voter education.
VoICE.NET was
launched in October 2016 at the International Conference on Voter Education for
Inclusive, Informed and Ethical Participation held at New Delhi. The global
knowledge network is a part of the New Delhi Declaration adopted at the
Conference by 25 EMBs, representatives from UNDP, International IDEA, IFES and
the Malaysian Commonwealth Studies Center. VoICE.NET contents are
provided by the member EMBs/Organizations and the portal is maintained by
Election Commission of India.
[i] Danish
Institute for Parties and Democracies (DIPD), "Bhutan: Collaboration with
the Election Commission on Democracy Clubs," (DIPD, accessed August 2018),
http://dipd.dk/partnerships/bhutan/
bhutan-collaboration-with-the-election-commission-on-democracy-clubs/.
