Guiding principles for Electoral Education

Education in support of elections and democracy is done by a wide variety of organisations and individuals. It is supported and sponsored by election administrators; democratically elected governments through various departments of state; constitutional 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 electoral 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 programs that might repeat from one year to the next, but also the specific program necessary in 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 program within the broad parameters of the universal commitment to free and fair elections. Why Educate Voters Electoral education takes place to assist the election administration in its task of delivering a free, fair, and cost-effective election. It encompasses the basic electoral information that every voter must have in order to arrive prepared at the voting station and vote. Electoral education provides the background attitudes, behaviour, and knowledge amongst citizens that stimulate and consolidate democracy. During an election, this education will ensure effective party organisation and campaigning by citizens in support of parties 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, it can protect it 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 Electoral Education
A national electoral education program 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 electoral education programs than to ensure that the contestants in an election participate vigorously and fairly. Electoral 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 electoral education programs over which they preside. A National Program Constructing a national program 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. 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 program goals and 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 program and the budgets that should be made available to it.

Dalan Principio ba Edukasaun Eleitoral nian

Organisasaun no ema barak-barak mak sei fo edukasaun nebe fo tulun ba eleisaun no demokrasia. Eleisaun nia administrador sira mak sei fo tulun no esponsor; Governo nebe eleita iha democracia nia laran no mos departamento oin-oin iha estadu nia laran; orgaun nebe hari tia ona iha constituisaun nia laran hanesan comisaun ba dereitos humanus; no internacional, regional, no organisasaun sociadade civil iha rai laran. Edukasaun nee importante tebe-tebes tuir dalan demokratisasaun nian nebe hari tiha ona ho eleisaun tranzisional iha Afrca no Europa-leste. Husi demokratisasaun neba mak loke dalan atu considera fali buat importante nebe bele organisa iniciativa para bele protg, haburas, no kaer metin demokrasia. Ho esforsu hirak nee mak fo nakloke ba atu usa material diak hodi halo comunikasaun, informasaun, no edukasaun ba teknologia no metodologia. Practika du-ke instrusaun sai normal tia deit. Nunee resultadu tuir dalan edukasaun eleitoral nian nebe iha forsa mai husi ema nia sakrificiu atu fo informasaun no fo brani (coragen) ba orgaun votante nian du-ke obriga atu tuir principiu oin-oin. Iha nee halo posivel ba kada emprezariu eleisaun nacional nian atu haree fali ba buat importante hanesan tema, metodu, pratika educasional nian, rekurso nebe iha, no limitisaun iha rai laran nian nebe laos deit iha governo maibe votante sira mos. No mos programa ba educasaun cidadaun nian nebe bele repete fali tinan ba tinan, maibe precisa programa especial ba kada eleisaun no referendum. Iha area ida nia caso halo exemplos nebe mai hosi contexto oin-oin, maibe sira serve para haree tuir deit. Kada nasaun ten-ke halo nia programa rasik iha dalan nakloke nebe bele iha esforsu universal nian para bele iha eleisaun livre no eleisaun mos. Oin-sa mak Eduka Votante sira Edukasaun eleitoral nian halo para asiste administrasaun eleisaun nian atu iha responsibilidade para halo eleisaun livre, no mos, rai mos bele sustenta. Halibur ho informasaun basika eleitoral nian nebe votante hotu-hotu ten-ke iha atu wainhira to ba vota-fatin iha dokumentu para bele vota. Edukasaun eleitoral nian hadian ema nia hanoin, hahalok, no hatene husi cidadaun nia laran nebe bele simu no haburas demokrasia. Iha eleisaun nia laran, edukasaun nee sei fo efeitivo ba organisasaun partidu nian, no cidadaun nebe halo kampanha atu suporta nia partidu, cidadaun nia hahalok nebe mos no la iha sala, eleisaun nee sei lae iha problema. Resultadu leleisaun nian nebe los ou lalos maibe nia sei simu, no tolerancia ba konpetisaun no ho oposisaun. Edukasaun deit labele hari demokrasia ida. Maibe, edukasuan bele protg demokracia bain-hira cidadaun sira iha ajuda ba sira nia actividade iha liberdade nia laran no iha estado demokratiku ida. No mos, cidadaun nebe iha edukasaun bele halo parte iha servisu administrativo nian nebe prepara ba eleisaun. Se Mak Sei Komanda Edukasaun Eleitoral nian Programa ba aktividade edukasaun eleisaun nacional nian sei kusta osan barak tebetebes se autoridade eleisaun nian mesak deit mak halo. Buat nee halo diak liu se iha kontribuisaun mai husi rai nia rekurso hotu-hotu, liu-liu ba eleisaun nebe iha signifikante makash. Autoridade eleisaun nian sei halo selesaun oin-sa mak bele iha kontribuisaun nebe ha-too regulamento, incentivo, no informasuan nebe sira bele hasai. Iha autoridade eleisaun nian balu iha tia ona mekanismu nebe halo fasil para atu organisa no motiva programa edukasaun nian du-ke obriga ema nebe kontesta iha eleisaun nian atu participa activamente ho laran mos. Edukasaun eleitoral nian tenke halo (hanesan) tuir ambiente desenvolvemento actividade eleisaun nian nebe iha

debate publika kona ba sasan nebe atu diskuti no kona mos ba ema kontesta nian. Autoridade eleisaun nian ten-ke fo koragen ba actividade partidu nian nebe bele hanorin votante sira, hanesan mos necesariu atu iha edukasaun eleitoral ba programa apartidaria nian nebe sira bele hasai. Programa Naciaonal nian Constroe programa nacional nian precisa atensaun ba detalhas iha topiku nee, no fo considerasaun nebe atu halo asesemento ba kontexto iha eleisaun nebe atu halo nia laran. Se lae iha asesemento, edukador bele hetan dificuldade nebe depende deit ba exemplo nebe laos apropriado, no adapta modelu edukasaun no fo informasaun nebe la-los. Edukasaun nee hamutuk ho kontexto nebe iha metodu no involve ho media (radio, TV, jornal etc). Desenvolvemento metudo nian ten-ke halo dokumentasaun no teoria ba edukasaun, iha nee lae precisa atu adopta, por exemplo, demokrasia nebe hari tia ona iha rai seluk nebe iha rekurso ituan no mos ho cultura oin-seluk. Wain-hira contexto nee hahuu tia ona, edukador ten-ke hari programa ho objectivo. Autoridade eleisaun nian bele involve iha aktividade hirak nee, no mos bele usa fali programa ho objectivo nee para bele compara sucesu programa nee nian ho programa seluk. Iha finansa bele usa programa nee para loke fundo lo-los ida.