Imagine a local election where every single citizen, regardless of age, background, ability, or scepticism about the impact of their vote, feels that their vote matters and carries real power and purpose.

A message that speaks about a person's own life is far more likely to be heard than one addressed to “the electorate”. That idea drew municipal leaders and civil society organisations together ahead of Armenia's autumn 2026 local elections, to rethink how representatives of local authorities talk to the residents they serve and are accountable to.

Democracy thrives when everyone participates, and that includes young people, women, older people and persons with disabilities, whose voices are otherwise at risk of being underrepresented. True engagement only happens when people feel they truly belong.

“Specific messages should be developed targeting diverse groups... This way communities can reach an increased feeling of belonging that can lead to high voter turnout,” said a community project officer from Vedi Municipality, one of the participants in a hands-on Council of Europe workshop on inclusive communication.

Drawing on behavioural change thinking, participants explored how shifts in communication can address scepticism and restore trust. The reasoning is simple: when a message reflects a person’s lived experience, people engage, more voices are heard, and turnout and trust grow together.

The workshop followed a Steering Committee meeting on 16 September 2026, where project partners took stock of Armenia’s progress on decentralisation and set priorities for the next phase.

Both events were organised in the framework of the project “Local Governance in Armenia’’, implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.