Strengthening Election Observation Communications and Outreach in Ethiopia

In the lead-up and aftermath of Ethiopia's 2021 elections, NDI worked with its civil society organization (CSO) partners, the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE), Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), and Federation of Ethiopian Associations of Persons with Disabilities (FEAPD) to strengthen their external communications capacity and implement outreach strategies pertaining to citizens election observation (a process that leads to major gains in electoral integrity, accountability, transparency, inclusion and long-term public engagement around elections). These capacity-building trainings allowed NDI partners to effectively analyze and share election observation findings with a wide section of stakeholders in Ethiopia.

Prior to the elections, NDI trained CSO partners on how to analyze and present observation data and findings to external stakeholders, which better prepared the organizations' election communications. One participant stated, "The training was very instrumental to strengthen CECOE's organizational communications, both internal and external." Some CSO staff are professional communicators but lack knowledge and expertise in election communication. "During the training, [NDI] used best practices from other emerging democracies as learning examples, and this has helped us to learn a lot and contextualize things," a previous CECOE staff member said. "Therefore, I can confidently say that the training filled the knowledge gap I had in the area of elections and voter education."

NDI's training enabled CECOE to understand the necessity of presenting data in an organic and relatable manner. The Coalition learned that effective communication resonates deeply with the community and fosters meaningful conversations among stakeholders and citizens. As one CECOE staff member said, "NDI helped us better sell ourselves to the community. It's the process of building that trust with the community so that when we come back next time they say, 'you helped us see things differently' and perspective shifts."

The training made CSO partners better prepared to communicate to various stakeholders in an effective, timely and strategic way during the 2021 general elections. A FEAPD staff member expressed that "the training was very helpful to communicate with different stakeholders." One significant takeaway for EWLA was the importance of aligning timing of information and dissemination with the needs of specific stakeholders. EWLA applied this to its Violence against Women in Elections (VAW-E) work, where timely preliminary and final reports were crucial in maintaining relevance and impact.

EWLA's strategic shift from post-project information dissemination enhanced its reach and impact on its communication. The Association was ultimately more dynamic and agile with its VAW-E observation of the 2021 Ethiopian elections. According to EWLA's program manager, "We think it reached all over Ethiopia … utilizing various platforms, including press releases, mainstream and private media, social media, and direct distribution to sector offices."

Another key impact of the communications training for CECOE was on its media relations strategy. As one CECOE staff member stated, "NDI helped us craft or reshape our media relations." Post-training, CECOE significantly enhanced its media relations by creating a Media Working Group and cultivating ongoing partnerships with media outlets, extending beyond event-based interactions. This proactive approach was instrumental in raising media awareness and interest in election-related matters. In Ethiopia, as in many other contexts, media coverage on electoral activities are episodic and lack consistency, especially in the post-election phase. Ethiopian citizens election observer groups' ability to develop and implement sustained external communication strategy is therefore critical to promote continuous civic education and increase awareness of elections among citizens. Strategic partnership with the media is therefore vital, and NDI's technical assistance to partners is to contribute to these efforts. Additionally, CECOE improved its social media presence, taking a more proactive approach post-training, allowing it to reach a broader audience and further amplifying its voice.

CECOE's revised strategy included drafting and distributing policy briefs to key policymakers and decision makers. The briefs highlighted topics, including voter education, election grievance hearing committees, and media monitoring. Further, the Coalition leveraged consultative forums to engage various stakeholders.

NDI's CSO partners' experiences underscore the importance of dedicated, trained communication professionals working within partner organizations. It also shows the key role implementing partners such as NDI can play in building the capacity of partners to have ownership over organizational communications strategies. The transformation of communication strategies serves as a compelling narrative of how strategic communication intervention can empower citizen election observer organizations and enhance their role in promoting and sustaining democracy. Citizen participation is the bedrock to free and fair elections, and impartial, professional citizen-led election observation adds credibility to elections in that they help to verify/validate election outcome as reflective of electoral choice and desires of citizens.

Author: Joyce LaLonde, Program Officer

NDI's engagement with this program is implemented with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS).

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NDI is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works in partnership around the world to strengthen and safeguard democratic institutions, processes, norms and values to secure a better quality of life for all. NDI envisions a world where democracy and freedom prevail, with dignity for all.

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