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Educating Voters Topic of Democracy Dialogues Webchat

USINFO Webchat transcript, July 17

Kay Maxwell, immediate past president of the League of Women Voters, discusses voter education, registering voters and how to inform the public of upcoming elections in a Democracy Dialogues webchat.

Following is the transcript:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
USINFO Webchat Transcript

Democracy Dialogues Voter Education

Guest:     Kay Maxwell
Date:      July 17, 2006
Time:      9:00-10:00 a.m. EDT (1300-1400 GMT)

Kay Maxwell: A key goal in any democracy is for all eligible voters to actually go to the polls and vote on Election Day. Just as important, though, is that those voters be informed - about the process of voting, the issues involved and the views of the candidates. Voters are educated by the political parties, candidates, the press, election officials and by non-partisan organizations like the League of Women Voters. We need to understand what kind of education voters need and then let them know how they can get it. "Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport," and an informed vote makes a difference.

Somsri: It may not be too difficult to mobilize voters to come to vote but it is hard to prevent people to receive money or sell their votes. Vote buying is a big problem in Thailand and Cambodia...both vote buying in cash and in kind. Voter education should be focus on educating voters in principle of how to select the good candidates. Somehow majority votes could come up with bad choice and the selected persons could ruin the country and democracy. ANFREL is interested in voter education by mobile theater. We are planning to have training in Aceh/Indonesia.

Kay Maxwell: Of course you need laws against vote buying to begin to solve the problem. Then they need to be enforced. Voter education is critical and can be done in many different ways. Your mobile theater idea sounds wonderful.

QUESTION: [Marek]: Can you explain why the U.S. has some of the lowest voter participation in the world?

ANSWER: I wish I could explain it. There are many different theories and no one single answer. We are not proud of our low turnout and we are working hard to improve turnout.

Q: [Marek]: Internet has been used in movements (like the Otpor student group is Serbia) to create interest among young people.

How can Internet be used to educate voters? Do you think the Internet will continue to be a factor in upcoming U.S. elections?

A: The Internet is a wonderful new tool for voter education and is being used widely. Governments use the Internet to educate through their web sites, and organizations like the League of Women Voters have web sites that offer non-partisan information. LWVUS.org is our basic website and we will be launching VOTE411 in September, a site that will contain lots of information for voters.

Q: [Mizanur Rahman Khan]: If the voters (due to lack of education) are not much aware about the core issues, enshrined in the election manifesto of contesting parties and the quality of its candidates as well then how could you expect a meaningful election?

A: Defining "meaningful" is difficult. Our challenge is to educate people about issues, processes and candidates and to also encourage good candidates to put themselves forward to run for office. We all have to work to make elections meaningful.

USINFO WEBCHAT MODERATOR: Visit the League of Women Voters website.

Q: [Mizanur Rahman Khan, Associate Editor, the Daily Prothom Alo]: Do you agree with the notion that ID card is essential to make an election more free and fair? What is your observation about the quality of education of south Asian voters?

A: I can only speak for the US and I do not believe a voter ID card is essential to actually go and vote. Here, once you have gone through the registration process, it should then be simple for you to go on Election Day to vote. As for the quality of education of south Asian voters, I'm afraid I honestly do not have any information on which to base an opinion. I can say that here in the US, we need to work to improve our voter education.

Q: [Mizanur Rahman Khan]: There are countries including Bangladesh where elections are being held freely but the question of voter education is remain bleak? How do you evaluate this dilemma?

A: There will never be perfect voter education in any nation. My experience and the experience of organizations working in this area is that all means need to be used to educate voters. Those means will vary from country to country, but hopefully we can all learn from each other's experiences. Education is an on going and never ending process that begins in the schools through civics education and should continue throughout our voting lives.

Q: [SavaronAPC]: In Madagascar, many people are illiterate, what should journalists do to inform them quickly and efficiently about next elections?

A: The issue of illiteracy presents special problems. I do not know the specific situation in Madagascar, but certainly radio and television are good tools in situations where the literacy rate is low. Also, holding public gatherings where voters can hear from organizations and/or candidates. It would also be important to network with local community organizations so that they can spread the word.

Q: [Jean HansAPC]: How old is in minimum the elector in your country?

A: In the US, you must be 18 years old in order to vote.

Q: [JosianeAPC]: Actually, many people like an artist, businessmen, and others declared to stand as candidates to presidential election on 3rd December 2006.

What is the key information to convince people to make a better choice?

A: We will all have different opinions about which is the "better choice." Our goal is to give voters the opportunity to educate themselves about issues and candidates so that they can make their own informed choice. Just because voters are educated doesn't mean they will also make the same choice that you or I might.

Q: [SavaronAPC]: After an opinion poll, we know that many people are "not interested to vote."

How should do journalists to motivate them to agree to vote?

A: You need to find out why they are "not interested to vote." Is it because they don't like the candidates, don't understand the issues, don't know where to vote, or some other reason. Until you understand the reasons, it's difficult to motivate people. And, there will always be people who simply will never participate, no matter what you do. Education is the key. Help people understand why it is important to vote and how and why they are directly affected by who is elected to an office.

Q: [JosianeAPC]: To be candidate, to be voter, both are a great responsibility for the nation but in my country many people think that it is a simple formality according to Human Rights.

What may be the consequence between this contradiction?

A: It all comes back to education. Many people may think it is just a formality and you can probably find that opinion in many countries. People have to be educated as to why it is important that they participate in choosing those will serve in government. They need to understand the direct link between the people they elect and the policies of those who are elected.

Q: [SavaronAPC]: Madagascar's population is generally young, and politics interested them. What is the best way to call young people to run as a candidate?

A: Getting young people involved is critical for the future of any nation. Unfortunately in the US the group that participates the least are the youth. So, we have special programs focused on them. You are lucky that politics seems to interest your population. For young people to run, they need to be trained. In the US organizations run training programs for candidates of all ages on how to decide whether or not to run, how to speak well in public, how to raise funds, etc.

Q: [Jean HansAPC]: I want to know what is the role of the journalist in the election?

A: Journalists are critical! The media is essential for providing information about candidates and issues. Too often, though, media focuses only on the "horse race" between candidates and not on their views on the essential issues.

WEBCHAT MODERATOR: The role of journalists will be the subject of a Democracy Dialogues Webchat on August 10 at 1400 GMT. Please join us for "Elections and Media"

Q: [Lalatiana]: Would you like to share with us your experience in educating people in a poor country like ours, because most of the times, they can't get enough information about election to be able to choice their candidates, you know, in most of the cases, rural people can't have access to information because they are so far away from the capitol where private media can only broadcast?

Do you have any similar experience in some African countries?

A: The League has done work in a number of countries in Africa and our focus has been to work with community organizations to provide information. The League itself is a non-partisan organization, meaning that we never support a particular party or candidate. We provide basic information to help people inform themselves. So I would say that similar organizations in your local communities are one way to inform people.

Q: [Farid]: Do you think that the actual voting system give more liberty for voters?

A: I apologize, but I do not quite understand your question. Could you please give me some more explanation?

Q: [SavaronAPC]: Few women run for presidency in the world. Why is it so?

A: We need more women running for office at all levels of government around the world. Women began late to think about running for office and to be involved in areas that would make them interested in running. We need to catch up! There are also organizations in the US, and I assume elsewhere, that offer specific training for women who want to run for office. We need to elect good women - and good men - at all levels of government.

WEBCHAT MODERATOR: You can learn about the League of Women Voters' Global Democracy Project.

Q: [Lalatiana]: I know that women in the US won the right to vote only in 1968 (if I don't make a mistake) what was the challenge you had to face before achieving this goal?

Do you think women in poor countries are enough educated to really understand what does it mean the right to vote for them? And in which way is important for them to go to the polls?

A: Actually women got the right to vote in the US in 1920, but it was a long struggle. The key, though, was that they didn't give up. They struggled for more than 70 years to get the right to vote. The biggest challenges at the time were those who though that women either didn't really want to vote or that they weren't smart enough to vote intelligently. We know that's not true - and today in the US, more women than men actually go to the polls. It all requires constant education - and not giving up!

WEBCHAT MODERATOR: Read about important American women who made a difference by visiting the State Department's online publication Women of Influence.

Q: [JosianeAPC]: Hi, In Madagascar, Malagasy people are lazy to vote.

What are the best ways to get people registered to vote?

A: Getting people to register to vote is a challenge. In the US we try to accomplish that in many ways. People go to government offices to register, but also organizations like the League of Women Voters hold voter registration sessions. To give you one example, in my town, we go to the beach in the summer to register voters. And today, it is possible to register to vote over the Internet. We try everything!

Q: [JosianeAPC]: Could you tell me what countries in the world have a best education system for voters?

A: That is a question I'm afraid I don't have the answer to. Every country is going to find different ways to educate voters, depending on their cultures and circumstances. I would just say that there is no single, one way to educate voters. We all need to use every means we have.

Q: [SavaronAPC]: Has religion an influence over voter education?

A: I'm sure that in some cases religion does have an influence, but voter education comes from many sources.

Q: [Mathieu_APC]: In the developing countries like Madagascar, what kind of information should journalists provide to illiterate voters living in the country to avoid fraud?

A: It is important that all voters have information about the election process and the laws. All voters need to understand what they may and may not do, what the consequences are of committing fraud, and also know how they can report cases of fraud to appropriate authorities. All voters need confidence in the results of elections.

WEBCAHT MODERATOR: Please tell us what topics or guests you would like to see in future webchats. Send your ideas and suggestions to usinfowebchat@state.gov.

Q: [Lalatiana]: I agree with you that we don't have to give up, it will be a long very long way, but I think only a few women are conscious about this big challenge in my country, Madagascar, you know in 2002, most of voters for our actual president were women, they voted for him because they found him good looking and that was all, so is there any hope to change this when most of Malagasy women are illiterates and didn't have a high education level?

A: I'm sure there are cases where both men and women have voted for particular candidates for reasons other than where they stand on issues. We can change this through education and making it easy for voters to get information on the candidates and there views on issues. None of this is easy or quick. Those of us who work in this field know that we will work on voter education year in and year out.

Q: [JosianeAPC]: Give us some information about the best system to educate people to vote.

A: There is no "best system." We need the schools, parents, candidates, the media, non-partisan organizations, the political parties, etc., all to make a commitment to voter education.

Q: [SavaronAPC]: For me a woman journalist candidate for presidency need advices for democracy dialogues in voter education?

A: Candidate debates are one essential tool for voter education. So too are public forums on important issues. Organizations like the League of Women Voters sponsor candidate debates at the local and state levels of government and we sponsor public forums on issues. In those forums people of different points of view discuss the issue in order to inform the public about the issue. These kinds of forums are very important and they can be done on the radio or TV, as well as just for those attending.

Q: [WEBCHAT MODERATOR]: Kay, As you look back at your work with the League of Women Voters, what are you most proud of?

A: I am most proud of the fact that the League as an organization has made a difference in communities around the US and around the world. Our mission is to encourage the active and informed participation of citizens in government and we accomplish that in many ways. During the fall of 2004, I traveled to a number of states in the US to educate voters about changes in the laws that they needed to know about for the 2004 presidential election. And I have particularly enjoyed working with organizations in other nations to share experiences. We all have so much to learn from each other!

Kay Maxwell: Thank you everyone for your interest in voter education. I have appreciated the opportunity to communicate with you all. Since we can't get together in person, this is a wonderful way to share information. Keep up the good work you are all doing around the world!

WEBCHAT MODERATOR: We thank Kay Maxwell for taking the time to speak with us today. A transcript of today's webchat will be available on this site shortly and on our Webchat Station within a day.

Our next webchat in this series on free and fair elections will take place on July 27 and will feature Ahmed Younis on the topic of Youth Voting. Please join us!