The Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a 

republican seminar on improving the electoral training system

On May 14-15, 2026, the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a Training of Trainers (ToT) at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the topic “Training System for Members of Election Commissions: Diagnostics, Critical Errors and Training Architecture.”

The training was attended by 40 members of territorial election commissions from 20 regions of the country. The main goal of the training was to comprehensively modernize the cascade model for training election organizers and to develop unified training standards at all levels of election commissions. The seminar was structured around the principle of transitioning to the joint design of systemic products.

The program design was based on the results of a large-scale diagnostic survey conducted before the seminar. The survey involved 208 experts from all 20 regions of the country. The data obtained made it possible to form a “portrait of the system” through the eyes of practitioners themselves, identify problematic aspects, and determine priority areas for the development of training tools.

In his welcoming remarks, Secretary of the Central Election Commission Shavkhat Utemissov outlined the strategic direction for the development of the training system.

It was noted that, within the updated architecture, territorial election commissions should become “methodological centers of their regions,” rather than merely transmitters of ready-made instructions. The participants were tasked with moving from a passive learning model to a model of “producing” applied tools tailored to specific skills gaps.

On the first day, the participants conducted a detailed audit of the existing knowledge transfer structure within the electoral system. Particular attention was paid to developing specific recommendations for improving the electoral training process.

During the first-day sessions, as part of the exchange of experience, representatives of a number of regions presented their tested electoral training methodologies covering all key stages of the electoral process. These developments include various information products that enable interactive and practice-oriented training at the local level, a modular system of continuous learning, the use of AI capabilities to develop training materials, as well as training checklists and cards.

The methodological part of the program was based on the concept of gradually developing skills that enable strict compliance with legal requirements during election campaigns.

The second day of the training was devoted to the development of applied training tools adapted to the specific nature of various tasks. The participants prepared a series of training materials aimed at practicing algorithms of action for commission members in non-standard and stressful situations.

During the practical sessions, communication protocols were practiced to enhance the stress resilience of election organizers and prevent legal risks.

As a result of the event, a Trainer’s Educational and Methodological Package was developed, including a diagnostic data base, a bank of tested regional practices, and sets of training scenarios for replication in the regions.