Public Relations and Voter Awareness in Cross River State Elections

This study examined the effect of public relations strategies on voters’ awareness of the electoral process in Cross River State. Specifically, it investigated how voter education programmes, social media campaigns, stakeholder collaboration, and public service announcements influence voters’ knowledge and understanding of electoral procedures. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and primary data were collected from 344 registered voters in selected local government areas using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were employed for data analysis and hypothesis testing. The results revealed that all four public relations strategies significantly and positively affected voters’ awareness, with public service announcements emerging as the most influential predictor, followed by stakeholder collaboration, voter education programmes, and social media campaigns. These findings highlight the critical role of strategic communication in shaping electoral awareness in the Nigerian context. The study concludes that well-coordinated and multi-channel public relations strategies are essential for fostering an informed electorate. It contributes to the literature by demonstrating the relative effectiveness of different communication tools in enhancing voter awareness in subnational electoral settings. The study recommends that electoral management bodies strengthen their use of integrated communication approaches to deepen public understanding of the electoral process.