The more decentralised the educational programme, and the more reliant on paper leaflets, posters, fliers and publications that have to be created at the centre, the larger the storage and distribution problems of any programme, especially election programmes.
Educators need to think of ways to reduce the costs and difficulties of storage and distribution. They should do this during the planning phase by considering programme and strategy alternatives.
Media-Based Programmes
Programmes designed around a set of centralised messages, using primarily national media, reduce the problems of distribution and storage.
Balancing Complexity with Impact
Educators will have to balance the value of involvement in the campaign and face to face contact or individualised distribution of materials with the costs and difficulties of distribution and storage of materials.
Some ways of reducing difficulties include the following:
- adhere to tight production schedules that enable materials to go directly from production to distribution without having to be stored
- use a central preparation system, served by more than one production agent, close to the distribution point
- encourage the local production of materials according to agreed specifications or with agreed messages
- double up on materials with those prepared for other aspects of the elections
Costs
Educators who have to distribute materials either have to rely on a wide network of educators and participating organisations, or will have to contract those who specialise in distribution. In transitional settings where there may be no functional nationwide distribution and where the country's transportation infrastructure is poor will face more challenges in putting together a cost-efficient and reliable distribution plan. The geography and climate of the country may also come into play. In mountinous countries with remote areas and climatic conditions that may make roads impassable during certain times of the year may have to use airfreight or the rail system rather than trucks, for example. Airfreight is the most expensive method of transporting materials. In general, the shorter the time span and the greater the complexity of the undertaking, the greater the cost.
Space
If materials must be stored and then moved out in various quantities to different locations, educators will need to undertand exactly how much space is required to house, for example, 1 million tri-fold leaflets and how many and/or what size trucks or transport containers will be required to move them out. Educators should confer both with their printer and the distribution company on these issues. If an ad hoc group of distributors, from civil society organizations for example, is used, it will be all the more important to solicit expert advice on the amount of space required.
Time
One mistake that novice educators make is not allocating enough time for distribution. The emphasis tends to be focused on the production phases and the project. Yet, if materials do not arrive in time for a special event or for learners to receive and reflect on the information contained therein, then the entire undertaking has be for nothing. Educators need to build time into their programme plan for delivery and distribution. The amount of time required for distribution will depend upon the challenges associated with getting materials to their ultimate destination, the number of materials to be distributed, and the number of people assisting in the distribution process.
Onward Distribution
Those who are delivering materials to regional or even local hosts for further distribution do need to make sure that the materials are expected and will move to their destination expeditiously. There are examples of many materials, particularly those that are not absolutely crucial for the administrative success of an election, languishing in a passage or storeroom because the one person expecting the material has not been alerted to the fact that it has arrived. It may also be useful to include distribution instructions on the packaging materials so that those who have been recruited to hand them out or leave them at local establishments are clear on their task, including any restrictions. It may not be appropriate, for example, for official voter education posters to be hung in or on the premises of political party headquarters. Local ordinances may also restrict the hanging of posters on certain historical or cultural cites. Distributors need to be made aware of these requirements in order to avoid potential fines, wrangles with local officials, or even citizen complaints.
Weight Considerations
Storage is always at a premium. National programmes that rely on large amounts of paper, especially sequential poster and leaflet campaigns, should understand how much these materials weigh and the difficulty and costs of moving them from one place to another.
