“Democracy”
Democracy broadly means that the power to rule lies with the people. A democratic system should give all the people an equal opportunity to take part in deciding how public affairs should be managed. People's views are considered when decisions are made and the people decide on how they should be governed.
Democracy provides equal opportunities for all citizens, without discrimination, to take part in decision making. In a democracy, citizens should take part in democratic processes such as elections. They should obey the law, respect the opinions of others and should work with others to develop their society.
Election:
Elections are very important in a democratic process because through them we choose our representatives. When direct democracy becomes impractical, representative democracy becomes the alternative through which we can achieve "rule by the people". In a representative democracy leaders are chosen through elections. During an election people can assess the performance of their representatives and choose to re-elect them or elect new ones. Through elections leaders are given the authority to represent the people. Elections can only fulfill their role in promoting and achieving democracy if they are conducted regularly, freely and fairly.
Elections are about choosing leaders or representatives to a given office or position. It is a process through which people transfer the power they hold to make decisions and manage public affairs to a person, a representative, to exercise it on their behalf.
Elections are, therefore, an important aspect of representative democracy. Through elections, the people get an opportunity to choose the leaders to represent them in key inhibitions of government: The Prime Minister (executive), parliament (legislature) and local government. All eligible citizens should participate in elections to make their choice of leaders to these important offices.
Voter awareness is an important factor to conduct an election in a free, fair and impartial manner. Willingness of the eligible persons to be regathered as voters and their participation in the voting process are important ingredients for a sound democratic process.
So making the democracy effective and fruitful it needs voter and civic education to ensure voters are fully aware of their rights and informed about all components of the democracy and electoral process.
Voter Education:
Voter education and dissemination of electoral information are important activities which are essential for successful elections as well as for democracy. Result of successful voter education contributes to voters making informed choices on Election Day. Moreover, both voter education and information contribute to elections being free and fair. It is important that all eligible voters have access to voter education and information to enable them to make informed choices.
Voter education provides voters with knowledge and information on their rights and responsibilities during an election. It raises the voters' awareness and understanding of the importance of elections in a democracy. It seeks to provide the citizens with knowledge and skills to enable them to participate meaningfully in the electoral process.
Voter information constitutes basic facts about elections. It provides the essential information required by voters so that they can take part in an election and vote in the correct manner. This includes information on voter registration, nomination of candidates, campaigning process, polling day and announcement of results.
Voter education takes place to assist the election administration in its task of delivering a free, fair, efficient election. It encompasses the basic voter information that every voter must have in order to arrive prepared at the voting Station and vote on the set voting day(s). Voter education sensitizes the electorate on the importance of participating in elections.
Voter education provides the background attitudes, behavior, and knowledge amongst citizens that Stimulate and consolidate democracy. During an election, this education will ensure effective organization and activism by citizens in support of parties and/or causes, behavior by citizens that is appropriate to a peaceful election, acceptance of the results, and tolerance of competition and opposition.
Voter awareness is an important factor to conduct an election in a free, fair and impartial manner. Willingness of the eligible persons to be registered as voters and their participation in the voting process are important ingredients for a sound democratic process.
Type of Voter Education:
There are two type of voter education programme in Bangladesh.
1. Sustainable voter education. Sustainable voter education campaign is continuous programme, run all over the year. Sustainable voter education implemented through educational institution. There are several chapters in the text book of Secondary level education. Besides Election Commission, medias, NGOs, civil societies, government organizations run the campaign on election and democracy through different regular activities.
2. Election base voter education. Massive civic and voter education programme taken on the eve voter registration (updating the voter database) and general elections on Parliament and different local bodies.
Election Commission Bangladesh [ECB] and Voter Education:
The main goal of the Election Commission Bangladesh (ECB) is to organize free, fair & credible elections. The ECB is legally responsible for civic and voter education. Election Commission emphasis on election base voter education and implement huge voter education programme. Election commission takes a multi-interventional programme that reaches out different modes and media to educate voters, citizen electors and about electoral process.
ECB takes massive programme on voter and civic education to ensure voters are fully aware of their rights and informed about all components of the democratic and electoral process. Election Commission Bangladesh (ECB) is providing voter education and Voter information in support free fair and participatory elections.
Objectives of Voter Education:
• To build widespread confidence and popular support for ECB;
• Understanding democracy and voting right
• Build confidence in and understanding of the electoral processes;
• Peaceful campaign according code of conduct; ±
• To disseminate information on election;
• To inform and educate people about the process;
• Reach the target groups;
• To feed mass media with relevant information/inputs;
• To help diffusing and clarifying any misinformation/confusion;
• To provide the Election Commission with feedback from the fields and recommend on necessary communication interventions;
• Promoting informed participation;
• High voter turnout and;
• Peaceful acceptance of election results.
Voter Education Materials:
Voter education materials are develop on electoral laws, changes of laws, new initiatives, , new technology, update information, voter information, code of conduct, motivational message, role of electoral officers, procedure of voting etc. Besides some materials are also develop for target groups like urban and rural people, women, youth, dis-advanced group, fir^t time voters. Election Commission uses different types of information communication materials to reach each voter of every corner of the country. During developing of campaign materials, special emphasis is given on code of conduct. Election campaign guided by code of conduct during reduces conflict and violence.
a. Communications materials develops considering the following aspect-
• Level of education;
• Target group- minority, tribal, hard to reach area;
• Age group- youth voters, fir^t time voter, physically challenged voters, older and pregnant voters;
• Women voters;
• Service voters;
• Voter information;
• Voters right;
• Code of Conduct;
• Political Parties and activists;
• Role of Electoral officials.
b. Voter educations materials:
1. Press release, press conference, official statements;
2. Printed materials- Poster, leaflets, Stickers, brochures, flip chart, voters handbook, factsheet etc.
3. Audio - song, jingle, drama, message;
4. Audio-Visual-Video documentary, short film, public service announcement (PSA), advertisement, message and comments of social leaders, sports personnel, film artists, renown citizens;
5. Paper/TV advertisement;
6. Short message Service (SMS);
7. Banner, billboard.
Channels of Publicity:
Election Commission takes comprehensive efforts to effectively implement of its voter education campaign. It uses all available resources, channels and media to circulate disseminate and publicize all the IEC materials throughout the country.
1. Election Commission Bangladesh:
Election Commission Bangladesh takes the lead of civic and voter education campaign. Besides, civic and voter education is also implemented by a wide variety of organizations and individuals which are supported and sponsored by election administrators.
Election Commission has a central Secretariat and offices down to the Upazila (sub-district), the grass root level administrative unit. Election Commission has 10 Regional, 64 Districts and 489 Upazila/Thana (sub-district) level offices. Election Commission implement voter education campaign through meetings/rallies with the electorate, representatives of political parties, local elite and people of all walks of life for creating awareness about democracy, the right and value of franchise by the Divisional, District and Thana administration. In the Secretariat Public Relations Department responsible for voter education. Centrally PR Department develops voter education Strategy and plan for voter education. The PR department centrally develops all kind of IEC materials. Communications materials distribute to ECBs field level offices, NGOs, different channels and media throughout the country for publicize. Field offices are coordinates the voter education activities in their respective areas.
2. Media:
Media plays a significant role in voter education and informing the voters any update of election activity. In Bangladesh a huge number of print and electronic media are operating. A large number of newspapers are published from the capital, regions, district and upazila levels. Besides, a State owned radio there is a g good number of Private Radio operating in the country. FM band radio is very popular in the country. There are also many community radios.
Election Commission takes the privilege to use these media for civic and voter education. Almost all of the media utilized for communication and reaching out to the voter as well as whole population with verity of campaign materials. Election Commission maintains working relations with all the media outlets. Occasionally Election Commission meets with the concerned of the media arena with different agenda. The media people are very munificent to the commission and they extend all cooperation to the Commission for the sake of democracy and free, fair election.
a. Print media-
More than 150 dailies published only from capital. Besides, large numbers of newspapers are published from local levels. Dailies, weeklies, fortnight and different souvenir rare being used for advertisement. All the newspapers provide an enormous coverage of electoral news. They publish article, opinion, editorial on election issues.
b. Radio-
A good number of Private Radio along with State owned Radio operating in the country. FM band radio is very popular in the country. There are also many community radios. All these radios voluntarily ply election commission's voter education materials The radio themselves has also voter education programme.
c. TV Channels-
There are about 30 satellite TV channels and one terrestrial State own TV operating in the country. All the TV Channels broadcast - video documentaries, public services announcements, advertisements, announcement, tale off, messages on voter education for public interest.TV channels broadcast different important electoral announcements in scroll and in ticker as breaking news. Every channel has also their own programme on election. They organized discussions and talk shows on electoral events regularly.
d. Cable TV video channels-
Cable operators operate a video channels, basically they ply movies on the channel, on request of Election Commission they show voter education announcement and audio-visual materials in the video channel.
3. Government Agencies:
Election Commission always involves the concerned government agencies in voter education. Election Commission holds coordination meetings, briefings, conferences, workshops with the concerned government agencies.
Mass Communications Department:
Mass Communications Department has countrywide network with audio-visual publicity equipment. The department shows video documentaries, PSA, short film on civic and voter education through mobile publicity. They organize shows on local bazaar, villages, slums and populated areas. Mass Communications Department also organize folks shows, street drama, rallies, on voter educations around the country. Street miking very effective for publicity in rural areas. Mass communication department announce the election message through miking all over the country. They also distribute print materials throughout the country.
Press Information department (PID):
Medias are administered by the Press Information Department, they disseminate election commissions messages, press release, opinion to the press. They also publish opinion building article on print medias.
Department of Film and Publications (DFP):
DFP is responsible to make film, TVC, Documentary on democracy. It also prints the IEC materials on demand of Election commission.
Islamic Foundation: Religious institutions including mosques are supervised by Islamic Foundation. Upon getting direction from Islamic foundation, every mosque disseminates electoral information and message. Besides loud speakersin mosques are used announcing different messages.
4. Civil Society/NGO:
Civil society organisations are a key player in Strengthening good governance. Civil society can mobilize people around major public issues and monitor the conduct of government. Election Commission takes the opportunity to mobilize the NGOs for civic and voter educations. Election Commission encourages the non-government organizations to conduct voter education activities with the materials (posters, leaflets, slides, films etc.) developed by themselves highlighting the importance of vote, the right of the voter, functions of the legislature, responsibilities of the elected representatives to the electorate etc.
A good number of NGOs are engaged for civic and voter education. Election Commission has strong partnership with certain NGOs, who works for democracy and'human rights, Election Commission has regular interaction with them. A total of 120 NGOs are registered with Election Commission as Election Observer Organization. Among these some of the NGOs has separate network namely Election Working Group (EWG). So far there are 26 NGOs in EWG. Basically this network conducts voter education trough out the country. The NGOs, publicize voter education materials supplied by Election Commission. They also develop themselves some Information Education Communication (IEC) materials. Following activities are performed by the NGOs.
Publicize poster, stickers, Banner, handbook, flipchart etc Organize rallies, particularly with participations of women in the grass root level. Interactive programme (Face to face interaction) Organize street drama/Falk song/ regional music saws;
Miking (announce different electoral message through loud speakers all over the country)
Organise mock voting.
Organize youth festival/carnival with the youth and first time voters.
Publish political parties' manifestos and individual candidate's information furnished in nomination paper.
5. Mobile phone operators:
Mobile phone companies also contributing a lot in voter education through disseminating of electoral messages. So far 5 mobile phone companies operating in the country. They have wide network coverage throughout the country.
Short Message Service (SMS): Various Short messages on key issues and voter information disseminate through SMS.
Polling Station Information: Election commission has an arrangement to inform the voter - their voter number and polling station. Voter can know their voter number and polling station through push-pull SMS through their mobile phone.
6. Social Media:
Face book is very popular in Bangladesh. A large number of young people use the social media. Election Commission takes the opportunity to disseminate its IEC materials through face book. Besides others social Medias also use for Campaign. Different article on election also post on blog.
7. Website:
Election Commission maintains a very resourceful web-site. All the electoral materials including announcement, circulars, gazettes, laws are uploaded regularly. Besides candidates information, furnishes in declaration of nomination papers also uploads in EC website.
Political parties and candidate:
Political parties play a significant role in civic education and voter education. They carry out huge campaign for their party and candidates. In fact political parties/candidates are the real player to create festive mode in election. Part of their campaign political parties distribute voter slip containing voter number and vote centre to the each voter with their urge of voting. This door to door campaign is a unique voter education campaign.
Women Voters:
All most half of the voters in the country are women voters. So it is very important of women voters' access in the electoral process to make the election successful. Engagement of women voter in the electoral increases the voters' turnout which make the election more credible. Participating in the electoral process ensures women participation in the decision making process. Predication in the electoral process also empowers the women. Election Commission designs and implements special campaign for women voters. It includes TVC, Poster, Stickers, Rally, Discussion, SMS. NGOs particularly, who works with women implement different motivational program for women voters.
Youth Voter:
One third of the voters of the country are youth. Basically they play a vital role in election. Youth voters are highly engaged in electoral campaign of political parties. In fact, youth are the driven force of free fair and participatory election. Election commission has special motivation programme for youth voters. Specific IEC materials are developed to motivate the young voters. Youth festival/ carnival also organized by different NGOs and youth forums.
Voter Participation in different elections in Bangladesh:
People of the country are very enthusiastic to participate in the electoral process. The voters are fully aware about their fundamental right of vote. Massive participation in the electoral process turns the event in festive mode. That why voter’s turnout in different election is very high.
Conclusion:
Voters are the central actor and the real hero in electoral process. T have the power, this realization of the voters is very important to make the democracy effective. Election Commission Bangladesh runs huge voter education campaign to inform, empower, engage and facilitate the voter for massive participation in the electoral process.