Security in Voter Registration

In general, voter registration requires a relatively high level of security. There are often controls on use of the voters list, and improper use is a punishable offence. Often use of the electoral register, along with the voters list on which it is based, is limited to the election authority and through it to political parties. However, the parties, candidates and their workers usually have restricted access to the voters list, are often provided few copies, are allowed to use the list virtually only for election campaigning, and generally cannot distribute the list. Even stricter controls are placed on use of the “silent” voters list: it is not made available for public review, nor is it distributed to political parties for campaign activities.

The Outsourcing Option

Despite these security restrictions, not all work related to the voters list needs to be handled by employees of the election authority. Some tasks can be completed, to acceptable standards, through outsourcing to other government bodies or the private sector. Following are some examples:

• Computerization. The election authority will purchase the basic computer hardware to be used in voter registration but the software required to generate a voters list may be developed through a contract with a software developer. A contractor may also be entrusted with systems maintenance. In a jurisdiction with a periodic list, voter registration occupies a very brief portion of the electoral cycle, and it would be inefficient for the election authority to have in place all the employees required to service the computer system at all times. In fact, the computer system itself would probably expand substantially immediately before the start of registration and would mostly shut down soon after registration ends. There would be a similar spike in activity for the computer networking required to connect registration centres or enumeration offices with election authority headquarters; this is another task that it makes sense to outsource.
• Materials management. Voter registration is often materials-intensive, relying on paper-based forms, storage for completed forms, office equipment, voter education materials and more. Essential tasks include storing, transporting and delivering materials, and producing and printing voter registration and voter education materials. Outsourcing of these functions would probably improve efficiency.
• Communications equipment. The need for communications equipment increases during registration, especially in a jurisdiction that uses a periodic list. Outsourcing may well be the best way to establish, maintain and, at the appropriate time, dismantle communications infrastructure.
• Producing voter identification cards. Outsourcing may be the right solution for producing voter identification cards. Cards containing security features may be quite expensive to produce. If the election authority needs cards to be produced only within limited periods, outsourcing may provide acceptable quality at lower cost.

Safeguards for Outsourcing

The election authority continues to maintain responsibility and have accountability for the performance of key functions, even when they are outsourced. Safeguards are available to minimize the risk that may arise from decreased control over aspects of the registration process:

• When outsourcing a function, ensure that appropriate, clear and well-understood standards are in place. Include clear performance standards in the contract.
• Emphasize the importance of quality control. Make sure the election authority can maintain clear oversight of performance. It can do this only if it has the necessary staff in place.
• A contract that specifies penalties for non-compliance helps ensure that the supplier shares the risk for poor performance. Risk sharing in turn ensures that the interests of all parties remain focused on achieving the goals agreed to in the contract.