Voter registration is largely a process of gathering, verifying and organizing information to produce a list of eligible voters. Accordingly, one of the key tasks is compiling the registration information.
With the periodic list, normally this involves determining well in advance exactly what information is required from voters, and then developing forms or other mechanisms to gather the needed data.
Usually a country’s law or regulations will specify the information that needs to be collected. Normally this includes the voter’s name, address, citizenship status, date of birth and gender. Voters may also be required to supply a photograph or fingerprints. Generally, election administrators collect information essential for positively identifying the voter and verifying the voters list. Administrators may have to balance the need for information identifying voters with an individual’s right to privacy.
Election officials are sometimes asked to collect information unrelated to the election process. They may prefer not to do this since it might discourage people from giving their names for voter registration purposes.
The process of initial data collection for a continuous list or civil registry is similar for a periodic list. The difference is that the information is updated for continuous list or civil registry. Usually the election management authority negotiates agreements with other government bodies that collect information identifying citizens; under these agreements, the information is regularly transferred to the election management authority. For example, when a voter informs the tax bureau of a change of address, the information can be forwarded directly to the election management authority. The major challenge involved is matching people in the database of another organisation with people in the voters list. In countries that assign to each citizen a unique citizen identification number, that number makes it easier to combine the information from various data sets. In countries that do not use citizen identification numbers, many election management authorities use geography (i.e. residential addresses) as the basis for organizing the electoral register.
Door-to-door Registration
A door-to-door registration is usually performed by registration officials, registration officers or data collectors, who go from door to door, carrying blank forms on which they record the information given to them by residents at the addresses they visit. They may leave a copy of the form for the resident as confirmation of registration. Sometimes registration officers carry forms pre-printed with the names of voters registered at each address at the time of the previous door-to-door registration – an approach combining features of the periodic list and the continuous register. The completed forms are handed in to the registration office, where the information is processed either manually or electronically. Registration officers may also carry a control sheet on which they mark actions taken at each residence listed. The information on the control sheet is used in return visits to any address where the registration process could not be completed on a first visit.
Sometimes addresses are listed in advance on the control sheet. This involves pre-defining an inventory of legitimate residential addresses within each administrative unit – a task that may be difficult in a remote area with a traditionally nomadic population or large numbers of refugees. Because of the difficulty and expense entailed, the practice is uncommon.
Registration Centres
At a registration centre, voter registration forms may be completed by voters themselves or by registration clerks. Literacy rates will affect the choice of procedure. If voter identification cards are used, generally they should be available at the centre for distribution to each voter on completing registration. However, this may not be the best choice if voter fraud is a concern: it might be too easy for someone to register at a number of different registration centres, receiving an identification card at each.
Registration by Mail
Registration by mail is usually a less expensive option than either door-to-door registration or the use of registration centres. The main challenge with this registration method is ensuring that all eligible voters have a registration forms. The least expensive form of voter registration is registering all voters at the polls on election day. But this method usually results in long lines and lengthy waiting times for voters.
E-registration
There are several types of electronic registration, or e-registration, of voters. In the simplest form, the election management authority maintains a website on which it posts information about voter registration but not actual registration forms. In a more elaborate version, the website has forms that can be downloaded, printed, completed, and mailed or otherwise returned to the election management authority. A third option allows someone who has registered to log in to the website, review his or her own registration information, and enter changes while on-line; someone not yet registered may initiate the process.
In cases where the law provides for registration from abroad, electronic registration, or e-registration is ideal as is cost effective, saves time and resources, see Voting abroad registration forms - Spain.
Checks on Data Sharing
Data-sharing arrangements enable the election management authority to update the information it has on record without the expense of gathering this information directly from voters. Before integrating the information into its voter registration database, the election management authority might wish to check its accuracy. One way of doing this is to contact voters (for example, by mail if voters have mail addresses otherwise other ways of communication need to be identified), asking them to confirm that the reported change in information is correct.
