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Brief Profiles of Countries, EMBs and Partner Organisations of A-WEB
officer has the option to extend the hours of
polling if there are voters waiting to vote. The
presiding officer consults with polling clerks and
candidate agents at least half an hour prior, in
making a decision to extend the hours of polling.
Voter Education
Elections require citizens to participate in the
electoral process and to make an informed
decision when voting. Elections imply decision-
making, and democracy implies actively
participating. Decision-making and active
participation are based on information, skills,
values and practices, which have to be provided
to the entire voter population. Voter information,
awareness and education campaigns provide
voters with the knowledge, skills and values to do
this.
There is, however, a common misunderstanding
regarding use of the terms voter information,
voter awareness and voter education. While these
concepts are inter-related and complementary
(and can occasionally overlap), they need to be
distinct when designing specific activities and
programs to avoid confusion and ambiguities.
There are crucial differences between these
concepts and their application: (a) voter
information enables eligible citizens to vote,
including basic facts about the elections and
voting; (b) voter awareness addresses voters’
motivation and preparedness to participate fully
in elections and aims to increase trust in the
electoral process. This includes the secrecy of the
ballot, the value of each vote, freedom of choice
and the impact of voting on public accountability;
(c) voter education refers to a longer-term
pedagogical process involving more complex
information, including why the electoral process is
important and necessary, the link between human
rights and voting rights, the relationship between
elections and democracy and the conditions
necessary for democratic elections. Such
concepts involve explanation, not just a statement
of facts.
The distinction between these concepts is not
merely “academic”: they are essential when
deciding on concrete actions and programs,
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because they help determine the scope of the
programs, clarify the contents of messages,
define the timing and duration of the efforts,
identify appropriate strategies and, not least, to
determine who should be involved in efforts to
promote them.
It is often assumed that the responsibility for
informing, motivating and educating voters is the
sole responsibility of the electoral authorities.
In this debate, only one thing is the subject of
almost complete agreement: development of
voter information messages is the exclusive
responsibility of the electoral authorities. What is
required is the production and delivery of official
messages, bearing the stamp of the authorities.
The extent to which an electoral authority moves
beyond basic voter information into the realm
of awareness and education is determined by
their legal mandate and the operational capacity
and available resources to become involved and,
therefore, the situation differs in each country. In
some countries, the electoral management body
(EMB) is mandated to conduct not only voter
awareness activities but also voter education;
in others the EMBs are limited to provide voter
information within very restricted guidelines. In
many countries, voter education is an integral
part of broader civic education programs, with or
without the active participation of the electoral
authorities.
As mentioned, in Vanuatu the electoral law
mandates the VEO to provide information
to voters and the public in general. While
developing the contents of voter information
is the responsibility of the EC and VEO, they
can be supported in the transmission of those
messages by various stakeholders, always under
the oversight of the electoral authorities to avoid
misinformation and misunderstandings.
The EC and VEO recognize that voter information
and awareness should target all possible
electors, and many of its activities are conceived
in this light. Nevertheless, they are also aware
that certain groups of population, which have
traditionally been marginalized voters, require
specific information and awareness efforts, in
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