A WEB

Association of World Election Bodies (AWEB) organized an introduction to Electoral Administration BRIDGE Module in order to build capacity of its own internal staff on election administration.The main reason for that is because as an international organization, the staff is required to liaise with Election management bodies all over the world and the basic understanding about electoral administration becomes crucial.

The program kicked off by preparation week during 08-12 March 2016 by the two facilitators Ms Sibongile Zimemo Expert BRIDGE facilitator and Ms Thuleka Maureen Kholisa workshop BRIDGEfacilitator. The training took place from 14-18 March 2016 in Songdo, Incheon, SouthKorea. The total number of participants was 14 which included directors, managers and program officers from AWEB. The program covered the these topics: Introduction to Elections in global context, legal framework and reforms, electoral systems,EMB types, guiding principles, sustainability,civic & voter information, barriers to electoral process,planning,electoral cycle and project management, gender and elections, polling and counting environment, voter registration.

The program was very interactive in nature as it focused on participation by all and allowed exchange of knowledge throughout. Highlight of the program was the creation of voter information strategies to target different audience in the electoral process. Participants prepared their own slogans even video clips sharing their messages to create awareness. The feedback from participants emphasized the effectiveness of BRIDGE methodologies and extensive knowledge and experience that facilitators demonstrated throughout.

Below are just some of the comments participants shared about the course.

”Thank you for a great week and helping new employees get a better understanding of what election administration is about. Thank you for your enthusiastic teaching, I have learnt a lot on elections. It was really a great chance to share experience gained from other countries. The group work activities and energizers were entertaining. Your guidance and responsiveness to questions were overwhelming to say the least.”

We thank BRIDGE and its partners for this program but importantly thank you AWEB for sponsoring the training program.