Voter education is done by a wide variety of organisations and
individuals. It is supported and sponsored by election administrators; democratically elected
governments through various state agencies and/or offices; constitutionally established bodies such as human
rights commissions; and international, regional, and domestic civil society organisations.
Such education became increasingly important during the wave of democratisation that resulted in
founding and transitional elections in Africa and Eastern Europe. This upsurge in democracy also
evoked reconsideration of the importance of organised initiatives to protect and stimulate
democracy in more-settled democracies.
All these efforts made use of the best available insights into communication, information, and
education technologies and methodologies. Practice rather than prescription became the norm. As
a result, the field of voter education is driven by a commitment to an informed and invigorated
electorate rather than to a set of readily discernible principles. This has made it possible for each
national election enterprise to reconsider the important themes, methods, educational practice,
available resources, and domestic limitations that govern not only the general voter and civic
education programmes that might repeat from one year to the next, but also the specific
programme necessary for each election, referendum, or plebiscite.
The topic area draws examples from a variety of contexts, but these are only indicative. Each
country must develop its own programme within the broad parameters of the universal
commitment to free and fair elections.
Why Educate Voters
Voter education takes place to assist the election administration in its task of delivering a free,
fair, effecient, and cost-effective election. It encompasses the basic voter information that every voter must
have in order to arrive prepared at the voting station and vote.
Voter education provides the background attitudes, behaviour, and knowledge amongst citizens
that stimulate and consolidate democracy. During an election, this education will ensure effective
organisation and activism by citizens in support of parties and/or causes, behaviour by citizens that is
appropriate to a peaceful election, acceptance of the results, and tolerance of competition and
opposition.
Education on its own cannot sustain democracy. However, education can protect democracy when citizens are
supported in their activity by a responsive and democratic state. Indeed, an educated citizenry can
even overcome inadequacies in administrative preparations for an election.
Who Should Conduct Voter Education
A national voter education programme is a costly activity if it is the sole burden of the election
authority. It is best done by an alignment of all the available resources in a country, especially if
the particular election is of great significance. The election authority will select ways in which to
achieve this alignment by introducing regulations, incentives, and information that only they can
provide.
Some election authorities have found it easier to organise and stimulate voter education
programmes than to ensure that the contestants in an election participate vigorously and fairly.
Voter education must be matched, however, by the development of a climate of election activity
and a public debate about the issues and contestants. Election authorities should encourage
partisan activities to educate voters, as well as the necessary non-partisan voter education
programmes over which they preside.
A National Programme
Constructing a national programme requires attention to the detail of this topic area, and due
consideration should be given to an assessment of the context within which an election is to take
place (see Context Assessment). Without this assessment, educators can find themselves slavishly following
inappropriate examples or adapting inappropriate educational and informational models.
Education is a melding of content with appropriate media and methods. These methods are well
documented in development and educational theory and there is no need to adopt, for example,
models from established wealthy democracies in countries with fewer resources and a different
culture.
Having established the context, educators must establish programme goals and objectives (see
Constructing a Mandate and Educational Objectives). Election authorities can be involved in this activity and will be able to
use these goals and objectives to evaluate the success of any programme and the budgets that
should be made available to it.
