Mauritius: Civic and voter education

Extracted from: Rouikaya Kasenally 2009 "Chapter 8: Mauritius" IN Denis Kadima and Susan Booysen (eds) Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa 1989-2009: 20 Years of Multiparty Democracy, EISA, Johannesburg, 289.

Prior to any forthcoming general election, the Electoral Commissioner's office keeps the electorate informed of the administrative arrangements for every registration exercise through the publication of notices in the Government Gazette and in the local newspapers. A vast publicity campaign is also launched on radio and television and colourful posters are displayed at all public places and at registration and polling stations. Officials of the Electoral Commissioner's office also deliver talks on radio and television to explain the process of registration or polling. Furthermore, 'directions to voters' in all local languages are affixed at each polling station to explain the voting procedures to the voters. The political parties too are very active in this process through political canvassing, radio and television broadcast as well as through the spoken word at public meetings.