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Description
The project aims to strengthen the democratic culture in Estonia. The project focuses on helping people make better informed decisions during elections and supporting the following of Good Election Practices. The project uses different target groups (local journalists, young people, teachers) to shape the public debate during the pre-election period to put focuses on the specific tasks of the local municipalities and prevent the making of false claims and the spread of false information. In co-operation with the project partner Praxis we will create communicative manual to explain the responsibilities of local municipalities which are mainly targeted at journalists. A media campaign on the same topic is targeted at the general electorate. To support making informed decisions we will publish election related fact checks together with Eesti Päevaleht. We will also develop a a manual targeted at local media owned by local municipalities to help them follow Good Election Practices. The Estonian Debating Society will use the manuals developed to create suitable materials for young people, which we will use to train students at schools, youth councils and local youth centres in cooperation with the Estonian National Youth Council. With the help of experienced debate teachers and teacher trainers we will also develop the manuals into teaching materials which can be used at schools by teachers after the end of this project. Different actions of this project will shape the pre-election public debate to focus more on the responsibilities of local municipalities and support the first-time voters with necessary information and skills to shape young people into informed voters.
Summary of project results
Local government elections determine how citizens receive many essential services and how well several fundamental rights are ensured. Despite the importance of local elections, there are numerous issues during the campaign period related to adhering to democratic culture and good electoral practices. Public and media awareness of the roles of local governments and the state, as well as the competencies of the elected representative bodies, is low. As a result, campaign discussions often focus on topics, and promises are made that the elected representatives cannot fulfill. Meanwhile, important local issues within the jurisdiction of local governments, such as youth welfare or care policies, remain unaddressed.
The cost of unachievable promises is later disillusionment with politics, the feeling that a citizen’s vote has no impact, and a decline in voter turnout. Insufficient focus on the substantive responsibilities of local governments reduces the likelihood that local authorities will be motivated to address complex issues under pressure from voters. Without understanding the role and importance of local governments, voters also have fewer reasons to participate in elections.
In Estonia, voter turnout in local government elections has lagged behind parliamentary elections and has been on a downward trend over time. For example, a 2018 Kantar Emor survey on youth voter turnout indicated that young people refrained from participating due to their disillusionment with politics and lack of interest in it. The more distant and unclear local government appears to young people, the less personal connection they feel to local issues.
Low voter turnout is an issue that requires particular attention, especially among the youth demographic. Studies on voter behavior indicate that voting habits are likely to develop at a young age and are shaped by the behavior exhibited during one''s first elections. In Estonia, a recent change allows young people as young as 16 to vote in local government elections.
To prevent disillusionment and low interest from creating a generation that is disengaged from local issues, it is essential to foster greater interest among young people in elections and improve their understanding of how local governments impact their lives.
Although the topic of elections is covered in school lessons, there is a lack of active stakeholders who could present this important subject to young people and the systems involving them in an engaging way. While civics teachers do address elections, given their workload and the breadth of topics they must cover, the subject of local government elections likely remains distant for many young people.
In addition to providing substantive knowledge, it is crucial to develop skills that help apply that knowledge. A thorough understanding of local government responsibilities requires strong critical thinking and information analysis skills to evaluate public discourse before elections and make informed choices.
Guidelines on Local Government Topics
In collaboration with the Praxis think tank, a set of guidelines was created focussing on various local government competencies. A total of six topic sheets were developed, which remained accessible throughout the project (and continue to be available) on the TarkValija website.
A series of workshops for journalists and discussions with journalists took place to introduce the topic. The aim of these activities was to encourage the media to focus on local issues in their election coverage and directly engage journalists who shape the media landscape during elections.
Media Campaign
The election-period media campaign focused on local government (KOV) competencies and “finding the groundhog” (a metaphor for identifying key issues). For the campaign, Kinoteater produced nine short video clips, which were widely promoted in the media. During the election period, the videos were viewed over 7,000 times on YouTube and over 26,800 times on Facebook. In addition to social media, ads on ETV, radio channels, and the videos were also shared by project partners, including the National Election Service.
The campaign was supported by fact-checking activities to ensure that political parties adhered to good electoral practices and focused on local government topics in their promises. A total of 11 fact-checks were conducted that reached a large audience and helped keep public attention on local issues. The ability to conduct fact-checking and run a media campaign allowed the Debate Association and Praxis to engage a significantly broader audience than usual, raising the importance of local issues.
Youth-Focused Activities
In addition to the campaign, first-time voters were a special target group of the project. Training sessions were conducted in 75 schools, youth centers, and youth councils, reaching a total of 1,413 young people. The project enabled the delivery of trainings across Estonia—not just in major cities, but also in small rural schools, on islands, and in Russian-speaking schools. The feedback to the training was overwhelmingly positive, and it allowed to discuss elections and critical information consumption with a large number of first-time voters. The trainings also provided opportunities for young people to practice critical thinking skills and deepen their understanding of local government through a themed debate tournament.
In addition to training, teaching materials for schools were developed that focused on elections and critical thinking topics. To introduce these materials, three information days (two in Tallinn and one in Tartu) were organized, which received significant interest from teachers. These materials remain available to teachers and can continue to be used for teaching politics and election-related topics. Furthermore, the project allowed to expand the network of teachers, enabling the sharing of materials and sow seeds for future collaboration.
The broader aim of the project was to strengthen Estonia''s democratic culture, promote adherence to good electoral practices, and support informed decision-making. The project enabled the Debate Association to reach the media, the general public, and first-time voters, encouraging them to make more informed voting choices.
Focusing media attention to local issues provides both voters and politicians with a clear direction to concentrate on the core topics of the elections. This, in turn, enhances voters'' ability to make well-informed choices. Additionally, the campaign inspired people to take an interest in their local governments by providing them with a practical “toolkit” to engage with these issues. This can further increase public interest and participation in elections, thus, increasing civic participation in general.