National Voter Education Policy

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely, the real safeguard of democracies, therefore education” Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Background

1st elections in independent Namibia were conducted in 1992
Electoral Act, 1992 (Act No. 6 of 1992)
Voter turn-out in National and Presidential elections are traditionally high since independence.
Regional and Local Authorities being lower
1992 voter education was conducted by the ECN complemented by NGOs.
Similar approaches were followed prior to the National and Presidential elections in 1994 and 1999 and Regional and Local Authorities in 1998.
In 2004, National Assembly, Presidential, Regional and Local Authorities elections voter education efforts in the run-up to these elections were formalized through an Election Support Consortium (ESC)
The ESC, unfortunately, did not survive long due to the unavailability of funding.
Leaving mainly the ECN to conduct voter education especially prior to the 2009 National
Assembly and Presidential and the 2010 Regional and Local Authorities elections.
For any election to be successful and democratic, voters must understand their rights, responsibilities, sufficiently knowledgeable, well-informed and participate meaning full in the entire electoral process.
Electoral Amendment Act, No.7 of 2009, empowered the ECN to accredit voter educators.
Stakeholders consultations

Policy Objectives

To ensure that eligible citizens know how to participate in electoral process in Namibia
To enhance the capacity of partners to jointly with the ECN, respond to voter education needs
in an effective and sustainable manner and
To standardise voter education messages
To ensure that the electorate is universally
informed
To regulate voter education partners to ensure
adherence to qualitative standards.

Current Legal and Regulatory Environment

Voter education is legally one of the duties and functions of the ECN
Section 49 of the Electoral Act, 2014 (Act No.5 of 2014
Provides that the Commission shall in particular supervise, direct, control and promote voter education in respect of elections
By the ECN or by way of accrediting persons ororganisations (other than registered political party)
Section 51 (1) of the Electoral Act of 2014, subject tosection 54, provides for the accreditation of anynatural or juristic person to provide voter and civic
In the interest of deepening democracy, enhancing participation and encouraging informed choice, civic and voter education should be given priority in the SADC region.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES

Factors: social, cultural, and economy must be taken into account when educating the electorate on electoral matters
Ethnic composition of the country: language, values, beliefs, norms and level of education in the different population group
Engage CSOs working with persons with disabilities to conduct disability relevant voter education programs.

Principles underlying the policy

Accreditation of persons providing voter education, section 51 of the Electoral Act
Codes governing persons accredited
Contravention of or failures to comply with conditions of accreditations or code.
Voter education by political parties.

Accreditation regulatory framework