Alejandro Rodriguez Gamboa National Elections Board (JNE) Peru September, Mexico City INFORMED VOTE PROJECT

Informed Vote Project OBJECTIVES Main objective: To expand and improve the channels and levels of information that will enable voters to cast a conscious and responsible vote, helping to narrow the information gap and improve relations between citizens and their democratic system. Specific objectives: Instill new ethical conduct standards in elections for political organizations by having them carry out their commitments Give citizens access to electoral information that will empower them to cast a responsible ballot, mobilizing a set of electoral awareness messages through an educational communication campaign Assist in the institutional strengthening of the National Elections Board The Informed Vote Project is a comprehensive proposal to promote public-private cooperation so that citizens inform themselves and make informed decisions in elections.

CURRENT ENVIRONMENT 6.8% of Lima’s residents trust political parties. (1) Low levels of trust in political parties hamper the institutional strengthening of democracy. 24.8% of voters in the lowest socioeconomic sector (E) decide how they will vote on election day. (1) In other words, without reflection or being informed about the electoral choices. The lack of transparency and openness of relevant information from the candidates and political parties generates a lack of confidence in the whole political system. (1) Public Opinion Group of the University of Lima WHAT BENEFITS DO WE EXPECT FROM THE PROJECT? That voters will develop an interest in finding and analyzing the information before they vote. That political and civil organizations and the candidates will generate greater confidence in the electoral process and democracy by carrying out their promises. That elections will be more transparent by giving voters tools they need to compare and elect better candidates to represent them.

SCOPE OF THE PROJECT SPONSORS PACT WITH CIVIL SOCIETY Awareness building and dissemination to change attitudes General, regional, and local elections Voters aged 18-35, primarily in socioeconomic groups C, D, and E (the lower ones) PACT WITH POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS Generation of commitments for ethical behavior General and regional elections Political parties and regional movements registered in the Registry of Political Organizations (ROP)

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT ELECTORAL ETHICS PACT Transparent candidates Clear accounts Government plans Clean campaign and electoral debate SOCIAL PACT Agreements with civil society and the media Voter profile Campaign for the informed vote

EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATION COMPONENT SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS In other words: My vote won’t change anything I don’t trust my authorities I don’t care about politics I’m dissatisfied with democracy Voters lack sufficient information to enable them to understand the duties of the authorities to be elected, the government’s proposals and plans, and the candidates’ profiles and backgrounds. Peruvians’ perception of the image and the political system………. Peru ranks in last place in optimism in Latin America that a vote will change anything (1) 22% of Peruvians are dissatisfied with democracy (1) 8% trust Congress (2) 62% of Lima’s residents have no interest in politics (2) 47% of Peruvians are nonpolitical (3) (1) Source: Latinobarómetro 2009 (2 ) Source: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (IOP) November 2009 (508 interviews) (3) Source: NGO CAD - January 2009

MEDIA CAMPAIGN What are we looking for? To awaken voters’ interest and empower them to be agents of change, responsibly exercising their citizenship to improve the quality of political representation in our country. What will we do? Sensitize citizens that it is important and indispensable to vote with awareness based on information, with special emphasis on the young public. Restore civil society’s interest in politics. Generate more than a campaign, a social and cultural movement. Objectives of the campaign Change in attitude: That voters will be conscious of the value of their vote. Change in behavior: That the citizen will be informed before voting.

. GENERAL RESULTS Internal: Strengthened the JNE’s institutional legitimacy for political groups and citizens. Recognition that the JNE guarantees impartiality in elections. External: Citizens have greater interest and participation in becoming informed during the electoral process. Voters have more access to relevant information for deciding how to vote. For the citizens: Direct Millions of voters have directly accessed the information generated by Informed Vote. Indirect The public has demonstrated greater interest in knowing information about the candidates and the electoral process.

Practical achievements The project gave voters more sources and access to information. Survey done by Ipsos Apoyo, 2011, in which 78% of the respondents said they agree or highly agree that through the JNE’s “Informed Vote” they received more information about the candidates, nearly 50% of the voters recognized “Informed Vote,” and 47% of the citizens said that “Informed Vote” informed them before they voted. Source: Evaluation of Informed Vote Ipsos Apoyo Opinión y Mercado. Voters change of attitude for seeking information. With respect to the achievements of “Informed Vote,” voters said that in comparison with the elections of recent years, their attitude changed about searching for information on which to cast an informed vote. Source: Qualitative Study on attitudes toward elections and Informed Vote. Arellano Marketing More positive perception of democracy. There was also a more positive perception of and attitude toward democracy, because the strategies have been the most helpful elements for making their voting decision; they are satisfied with the information that was available on Informed Vote’s web site. Source: Qualitative Study on attitudes toward elections and Informed Vote. Arellano Marketing (

Practical achievements 3 million visits to Informed Vote’s web site In the two elections, the number of visits to the web site was more than 3 million, with the cooperation of more than 1,200 strategic partners, including public and private entities. Optimum results of the project, which led the JNE to include it as a permanent program of the agency. Resolution P/JNE – National Plan of Citizen Civic Education and Training The experience and initiative were replicated by Ecuador’s National Electoral Council for the 2013 presidential elections through the Transparent Vote Project. ( Resolution PLE-CNE

Informed Vote CIVIL SOCIETY MEDIA CITIZENS POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS SOCIAL PACT FOR AN INFORMED VOTE