Voter Education in the IEC

1. Voter Education in the IEC Portfolio Committee Presentation 20 May 2003

2. 1994 Elections • Founding elections - attracted international attention. • Budget for voter education generous. • IEC did not run its own voter education activities - contracted civil society organisations. • Political parties were able to secure funds for their own voter education campaigns. • Voter education virtually reached all South Africans

3. 1999 Elections • The 1994 euphoria had diminished • The IEC largely depended on funds allocated by Treasury for its voter education programmes - budget had shrunk • IEC approached donors to help financially • The delivery model was based on the use of NGOs, CSOs, FBO, etc. trained by the IEC • Quality of the training could not be guaranteed • Generally, the model did not succeed

4. 2000 Elections • IEC designed, implemented and monitored its own delivery systems • IEC contracted co-ordinators drawn from local communities on a short term basis • A national curriculum of voter education was developed • Co-ordinators were trained on content and methodology of the IEC • Voter education strategy: • face-to-face (workshops, door-to-door and one-on-one discussions) • awareness campaigns (visits to imbizos, taxi ranks, sporting events, etc.)

5. Activities Since 2001 • A search for opportunities to entrench knowledge, skills, values and attitudes for the development of an electorate that participates effectively and efficiently in electoral processes. • Also a search to promote a general public that contributes positively to an environment conducive to free and fair elections.

6. Initiatives in Preparation for 2004 • DD0001: The Schools Voter Education • DD0002: Voter Education for By-elections • DD0003: Voter Education for the Deaf and the Blind • DD0004: Electoral Democracy Development • DD0005: Multi Media Education

7. Schools Voter Education (1) • Objectives: • increase the number of new registrations • educate learners about their political rights and responsibilities within the new democratic order • motivate learners to enroll as voters and participate in electoral processes

8. Schools Voter Education (2) • Scope: • grades 7, 8 and 9 of the General Education and Training band of the school curriculum • Approach: • 2001/2 participatory development of curriculum, learner support materials (LSM), sampling schools and printing of LSM for pilot phase • 2002/3 teacher in-servicing and pilot phase with 16 weeks learner programmes

9. Schools Voter Education (3) • Approach (cont.) • 2003/4 main project implementation - • Phase 1- Democracy Education over 28 weeks • Phase 2 - Voter Education over 36 weeks • 2004/5 project evaluation over 3 year process, stakeholder assessments and future planning • 2005 and beyond - • Formal education sector GET and FET bands • Negotiate an in-class slot in schools

10. Voter Education for By-elections (1) • Objectives: • explain why the affected communities have to vote again? What is a by-election? • encourage the electorate to get involved and register to vote and/or check their details on the voters’ roll • explain what the electorate needs to do to prepare itself for by-elections • explain how voting will work, when and where

11. Voter Education for By-elections (2) • Scope • only those wards in which a vacancy has occurred and a by-election proclaimed • Approach • keep programme in place for 10 days and conclude 2 days before the day of the by-election • engage municipal field co-ordinator and field workers

12. Voter Education for the Deaf and the Blind (1) • Objectives • to address concerns of the Deaf and the Blind • to provide for continuous targeting in the sector • to increase the number of registered voters in the sector • to encourage the practice of updating the voters’ roll

13. Voter Education for the Deaf and the Blind (2) • Scope • focus on the Deaf and the Blind • Approach • built upon the existing network and relations since 1999 • enlist CSO working with the sector to offer specialised voter education • develop specialised materials • meet at least once-a-year to review progress

14. Multi Media Education (1) • Objectives • to build upon partnerships created in the 2000 elections w.r.t. the provision of voter and/or democracy and human rights education • contribute to the development of community radio as a viable accessing knowledge and disseminating information • encourage youth to partake in human rights and democracy education programmes

15. Multi Media Education (2) • Scope • continuous voter education programmes on community radio and SABC education programmes • Approach • development of radio training programmes for elections broadcasting (July 2003) • review and evaluation of voter education projects on community radio • interventions on other media when opportunities arise

16. Electoral Democracy Development (1) • Objectives • support the registration and voting • encourage the understanding of elections as they pertain to all spheres of government • Scope • preparation of the general public for registration and therefore voting (why?) • provision of interventions necessary for the electorate to participate in elections (how, when and where?)

17. Electoral Democracy Development (2) • Approach • information and education using print and electronic media (drama, comedy, Youth Magazines Programmes, talkshows, etc.) • fieldwork during August, September and October 2003 (12 weeks) • voter/balloting education during January and February 2004 (8 weeks) • targeted balloting education, if and where necessary in March 2004 (4 weeks)

18. END .