In an effort to make the
electoral process more accessible and facilitate voter registration, an increasing
number of countries—including Germany,
Australia, Britain, Canada and many jurisdictions in the United States—permit mail-in voter
registration. Some countries (Canada, Denmark,
Australia, Britain) are looking into using new
technology to provide on-line registration opportunities; in New Zealand
electors were able to register on-line for the 2005 election.[1]
These methods can help
increase the registration rate, but raise concern that an ineligible person
might register or someone might register more than once, intentionally or
by mistake. The risk of fraud is higher since it is more difficult to
authenticate the identity of the person registering. Registration by mail or
on-line requires a verification system to ensure that the person seeking to
register is eligible. To prevent duplicate registrations, new names must be
verified before they are added to the voters list. Regular review of voter
lists by internal checks and cross-checking with other sources of information
helps to minimize the possibilities of error or fraud.
[1] Elections New Zealand,
Everything You Need to Know About Enrolling to Vote
