Basic Issues
Organisation of training for voting operations staff is a massive exercise that requires clear lines of communication, accountability and control. There are two basic elements to organising training:
- defining a clear strategy for the training program, appropriate training delivery methodologies, and materials development;
- developing the detailed operational plans that define locations, identify and assign trainers, assign polling staff to training locations, produce and distribute training and reference materials, and procure logistics needs.
For more detail on:
Consistency of Training
No matter whether centralised or decentralised structures (see Training Methodology) are used for training delivery, there will be a need for training accountability and some organisation at a more centralised level. Voting operations staff need to deliver equitable, impartial service and follow procedures in a consistent fashion, no matter where they are located. Allowing unsupervised localised control of training will be counterproductive.
Centralised quality control, even where training is not directly administered centrally, will assist in ensuring that training standards deliver this consistency. Areas where this is generally essential will include:
- content of trainers and voting operations officials reference materials;
- content and presentation of training sessions;
- provision of training to all voting operations staff by scheduled dates using an appropriate training method;
- training programs for voting operations staff trainers;
- monitoring and evaluation of training performance.
It would be preferable if a standard set of training materials is produced, by the electoral management body itself, for use in all voting operations training. If this is not feasible, materials produced by other bodies should be required to be approved by the electoral management body before use.
The situation becomes more complex where local electoral management bodies are empowered to make their own arrangements for the conduct of elections for higher levels of government. Different equipment use and detail of procedures will make consistency across an election for higher levels of government and standardisation of training impossible. This is not an insurmountable problem and can be dealt with effectively by ensuring that there is some central oversight, if only advisory, to ensure that:
- an adequate level of training is provided to all officials in all jurisdictions, perhaps through a system of formal accreditation of local training programs;
- reference materials provided are accurate and emphasise the application of principles of equity, impartiality, and service, even if they may vary in procedural details.
Management of Training Implementation
Organisation of the operational details of training will generally be more effectively undertaken at a more local level. The large number of training sessions that will need to be undertaken, especially for national elections, may create decision bottlenecks if all operational decisions are made at a central level. How much can be organised locally will depend on the structure and methodology used (see Training Methodology). Simultaneous or mobile team training methods will require greater organisation from a central level in planning training schedules, materials distribution, and often trainer transportation arrangements. However, decentralised management will generally be more responsive to local needs in the follwing areas:
- distribution of training materials;
- assigning staff to training sessions or if not trained face-to-face, overseeing self-directed training;
- determining appropriate training timing within scheduling limits;
- reserving training facilities and arranging for equipment;
- organisation of transportation for trainers and trainees.
Use of Skilled Trainers
An important consideration in organising training is ensuring that there are sufficient skilled trainers available to conduct training. Early identification of potential trainers will assist training implementation. No matter what their previous training or voting operations experience, trainers will require some training themselves, in relevant current procedures and/or in presentation of the training session outlines to be used. (For more detailed discussion of this aspect of training organisation, see Training of Trainers.)
