From December 4, 2023, certification exams of the Election Administration officials will be launched. The goal of certification is to determine the knowledge of electoral legislation and general skills of citizens of Georgia, in order to further facilitate the selection of highly qualified election administration officials.

LEPL Centre for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Training (the Training Centre), will administer the certification exams.

Registration of those willing to take the exam will be performed from November 21, 10:00 am through November 27, 24:00 pm, 2023, electronically, at the following address: http://registration.cec.gov.ge/

Applicants can also apply to the certification exam secretariats, in the pariod of November 21, 10:00 am through November 27, 24:00 pm, 2023, except for the weekends (the addresses of the exam secretariats are given in the link in Georgian). Identification card or a passport of a citizen of Georgia should be presented to the secretariat in order to register.

It is important that this year, for the first time, certification exams for election administration officials will be held in 13 examination centers opened throughout Georgia. Citizens will be able to choose an examination center operating in one of the following municipalities: Tbilisi (2 locations), Telavi, Rustavi, Mtskheta, Gori, Akhaltsikhe, Tkibuli, Kutaisi, Zestafon, Ozurgeti, Senaki or Batumi (addresses of examination centers and the number of seats for admitted participants are given on the link in Georgian).

Instructions for electronic distant registration:

• A person willing to take the exam fills the fields of the Electronic Application – personal number (according to a citizen of Georgia identification card or a citizen of Georgia passport) and last name;
• Next, the following fields of the electronic application – first name, date of birth, gender and address will be filled in automatically;
• From the list given in the relevant field, the citizen chooses the examination center, the date and time (hour) of appearing for the exam;
• It is desirable to indicate telephone number and e-mail in the contact information field;
• A person willing to take the exam may optionally confirm the field regarding issuance of personal data (based upon the confirmation, personal information (name, surname, date of birth, gender, address, phone number, e-mail) of those applicants who successfully pass the certification exam will be handed to the parties which go under election registration and to the local observing organizations registered at CEC, after issuing written request on getting this information);
• At the time of registration, applicants have an option to select the date and time of an exam preferable for them;
• Immediately upon submitting a completed electronic application, an applicant will receive registration confirmation (by indicating date for appearing at an exam, time and place), electronically.

The Training Centre offers citizens the opportunity to take a free preparatory training course for the certification exam of election administration officials, which is based on the content of the tests determined by the exam program and practical tasks. The full duration of the training course is 3 days (2 hours daily). The training course will be held through the period of November 29 December 1, 2023 (during working hours). The training is provided remotely (zoom platform). Those willing to participate in the preparatory training course for the certification exam, must additionally mark the corresponding consent box in the electronic program of registration for the exam. The citizen will be sent detailed information on participating in the training course to the contact email specified in the registration program.

Representatives of accredited local NGOs and international organizations will be admitted as observers at the exam in order to ensure publicity of the exam. For accreditation, interested organizations should apply to the exam secretariats with the application through the period of November 21 - 27, 2023, except for the weekends.

The examinee will be allowed to the certification exam only once, following the date and time indicated on the registration card (it is desirable to be present at the Exam Centre 10 minutes before the start of the examination). Examinee, who appears at the Exam Centre in late or does not appear, will be removed from the exam. Identification card or a passport of a citizen of Georgia should be presented at the Exam Centre by the examinee.

The Training Center has updated the tests for the certification exam of election administration officials. 840 tests (available in Georgian) have been prepared, which thematically include issues from the following normative acts: Constitution of Georgia; Election Code of Georgia; CEC Decree of February 6, 2023 N7/2023 “on defining rule and conditions for polling through electronic devices”; Regulations of the CEC approved by CEC Decree N54/2015 of November 25, 2015; Regulations of the District Election Commission approved by CEC Decree N2/2012 of February 3, 2012; The Code of Ethics of Georgian Election Administration Officials approved by CEC Decree N49/2021 of August 23, 2021; CEC Decree N11/2017 of June 27, 2017 "on determination of issues related to labor relations and incompatibility of CEC members and elected members of District Election Commissions".

The certification exam is conducted via the method of electronic testing. Duration of the exam is one hour. 24 tests will be selected automatically in electronic program by the random mode for each participant, the correct answer for each test is evaluated with 1 point. To receive a positive evaluation, the examinee must score 15 points. The validity period of the certificate is determined by the period of 5 years after passing the exam.

Regulation of Certification of Election Administration Official is available at the link (in Georgian).