Voter registration systems reliability and integrity can be maximized by using electronic capture, storage and manipulation of data.
Voter registration system inputs may include:
- paper forms completed by voters
- electronic forms completed by voters
- electronic data provided by other agencies
- hardcopy information provided by other agencies
- verbal advice provided by telephone or in person
- information obtained from field workers in hardcopy or electronic form
- information derived from returned mail
Capturing Data
Before taking a decision on a data capture method, an election management body (EMB) needs to define what data needs to be captured. This data depends largely on the legislative requirements applicable to the voter register, but it can also include requirements specified by administrative and operational convenience.
This means that data only needs to be captured if there is a legislative, administrative and/or operational reason for doing so. It may not be necessary to capture all of the data included by a voter on an applicaton form because some of these fields may be used by EMB staff to determine eligibility to register, but there may be no need to record the data in those fields the register database.
Some voter registration systems for countries with a large percentage of an immigration population, for example, might record on voter registration forms (among other things) the voter place of birth as well as citizenship information for persons born outside the country. This information is used by staff to determine if a person is eligible to register, but once eligibility has been determined there might be no need to store all the related data on the voter’s register for future reference. Another database may be created to archive the digitized images of the original form so that, later on, if necessary, the information can be accessed and extracted.
Data input requirements can be designed taking in consideration the output requirements, which could include, for example:
- data mandated by legislation on voter registration or required by administrative and operational needs
- output fields that could be useful for sorting data or for selecting subsets of data
- special categories that may apply to voter registrations
- needed auditing/tracking fields(such as date and time of data entry or amendment, name of data entry operator, records of previous entries related to each voter)
- output fields needed on the complete range of products, such as assignement of voter to voters stations, statistical and other reports to be derived from the voter register.
Some output fields such as the voter’s electoral district can be calculated by the computer software from other input fields like the address fields and do not need to be data entered. .
A typical list of fields captured at the input stage could include:
- name (which can be subdivided into more precise fields, such as first name, middle names, surname and family name as applicable)
- address (which can be subdivided into more precise fields, such as apartment number, street number, street name, locality, district, province, state, postal or zip code and country)
- former name (if the person's name has changed, for example by marriage or deed poll)
- former address (so that an earlier registration can be cancelled/updated)
- place and country of birth
- identity number(s) (as applicable to the particular jurisdiction, such as ID card number, passport number or social security number)
- citizenship details (for example, if proof of citizenship is required for registration)
- postal address (for those whose postal address is different from their residential address)
- special voter category indicator (for example, a code to indicate whether a voter belongs to a special category of voters, such as a voter whose address is to be suppressed from the public voter register or a voter who currently resides outside the home country)
Capturing hardcopy data
There are two ways to convert hardcopy data into electronic data. The first is to use data entry operators to type or key the data into a computer system. The second is to use optical scanning hardware and intelligent character recognition (ICR) software to convert images into electronic text. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages.
Manual data entry may be preferable to scanning because human operators are generally better able to interpret handwriting than ICR software. Human operators are also able to make decisions about voter eligibility that may not be able to be automated, such as deciding whether a signature looks acceptable or whether the information provided is sufficient. However, manual data entry can be a tedious, monotonous task and lack of concentration can lead to mistakes.
Several measures can be taken to increase the accuracy of manual data entry. A common method is to require data to be entered by one person and then verified by a second person. This verification process can take the form of keying all data twice, keeping both electronic copies separate. The two copies are then electronically compared. If they are both the same, the record is accepted. If they are different, a supervisor can check the record against the original to ensure the record is correctly keyed. Another verification method is to have a second person check the data keyed by the first person against the original form.
Another measure is to design the input screen used for data entry to maximize the accuracy rate. For example, a data entry screen should follow the same logical order as the form being keyed, with design elements used to force the operator's eyes to follow a logical path.
Software can also be programmed to perform logic tests as data is entered to minimize errors. For example, “input masks” can be used, so that only numbers within a specified range can be added in a field where a number is required and only valid dates can be added in date fields. Software can force data entry operators to add valid data to every field, so that fields cannot be skipped or left blank by accident. Where data in a field must conform to a particular standard, such as a defined list of variables, software can reject any entry that does not conform to the standard. Better still, where data in a field must conform to a defined list of variables, the system can offer only those variables, often in a “drop down box” or a “list box”. For example, a gender field could allow the operator to only select “male” or “female” as options.
Where data in the voter component of a voter register database is linked to another part of the database, such as the address component of the database, software can force data entry operators to select only a valid address from the address database. Any address given by a voter that does not conform to an address in the address database is rejected by the system, thereby forcing the operator or a supervisor to investigate the legitimacy of the claimed address.
In some cases, the address given may be an unofficial variation of an official address. In others, the address may be fraudulent. If the address turns out to be legitimate but it is not contained in the address database, a separate process should be undertaken to update the address database before the voter registration can be processed, thereby preserving the integrity of the address database.
Data entry using optical scanning hardware and ICR software to convert images into electronic text may be preferable to manual data entry where large quantities of data have to be processed and the process of manual data entry is not likely to add enough value to the process to make it worthwhile.
The biggest drawback with using ICR for data capture is the level of accuracy achieved. Since hardcopy voter registration forms tend to be handwritten, the varying qualities of handwriting can make it difficult for ICR systems to accurately convert handwriting into text, particularly where names are being interpreted, as they do not give ICR software predictable grammatical patterns to follow. However, the accuracy of ICR software is continually improving, and error rates of modern ICR software are much lower than those achieved a few years ago..
ICR software can be effective if the accuracy of the data capture is checked by a human operator against the original form, in much the same way as data is verified using manual operators. This process can be streamlined by software that captures both interpreted text and a picture image of the original form and displays them side by side on screen for operators to check. This method removes the need to refer back to the original forms and means the checking process can be undertaken relatively quickly by a trained and experienced operator.
ICR software is well suited to capturing typed text and can be “taught” to understand various typed or printed fonts with high degrees of accuracy.
Capturing electronic data
Compared with capturing paper/hardcopy data, capturing electronic data is a relatively straightforward process. However, difficulties may arise if the data provided is not formatted in the same way as the data tables into which the data is to be included.
For example, an external agency may provide an EMB with a list of persons who are to be included on the voter register. The voter register will be set up so that data will be included in several defined fields, with each field referring to a particular type of data, such as a surname field. If the imported data does not contain information formatted in the same field structure, the data will have to be converted to fit into the desired structure.
For instance, an EMB may split voters' addresses into separate fields, such as apartment number, street number, street name, locality, state or district, post or zip code. Address data from the external agency might be provided in a “free field” format, that is, the entire address might be typed in one field, with no breakdown of the address into its component parts. In this case, some means must be devised to convert the imported data into the desired format. Unfortunately, this often can only be achieved by considerable manual intervention, making the electronic data exchange a more complicated exercise than it might be expected.
The solution to importing electronic data into a voter registration database is to coordinate data field structures with the agency supplying the data so as to ensure consistency. The best way to do this is to develop an agreed set of data structure standards that can be used across a range of agencies with similar data. Several such standards exist in several countries..
Problems of data structure standards should not arise where EMBs collect electronic voter registration data directly from voters. For example, electronic registration forms provided on the Internet or at computer kiosks can be structured to fit directly into the correct database structure, if practicable.
Electronic voter register data can also be collected by supplying field workers with portable data entry devices. Data can be downloaded from these devices by using removable disks, by connecting the devices directly to a computer or by downloading data over the Internet.
As with manual entry of data, software logic tests can be applied to data captured electronically to identify any possible data errors. For example, any data containing letters in fields that should only contain numbers can be flagged, and operators can investigate the problem and, hopefully, correct it, going back to the source if necessary. Similarly, any addresses submitted electronically that do not conform to the standard address database can be investigated and corrections made as needed.
Capturing data by telephone
In some cases it may be possible to allow voters to register or update their voter register details automatically by telephone, but the opportunities for this type of transaction are rare.
However, it may be feasible (electoral legislation permitting) to accept changes to the voter register by telephone. In these cases, the verbal message must be translated into an electronic form in order for it to update the electronic voter register. This could take the form of a handwritten or typed form completed by the operator, which is then keyed or scanned into the computer system. The advantage of this approach is that it leaves a paper audit trail that can be used to verify the legitimacy of changes to the register.
Alternatively, the operator taking the telephone call could update the register on screen. This has the advantage of saving time by eliminating the step of producing a hard copy record. In this case, the database should record that the change was reported by telephone, so as to leave an audit trail for the change.
Capturing information from returned mail
Where information derived from the voter register is used to address mail to voters that mail may be returned with annotations that may be useful for updating the register. For example, mail that is returned "not known at this address" can be used to annotate the voter register and (dependent on local legislation) either serves to remove the person from the register or to trigger action to investigate the person's right to remain registered.
In other cases, returned mail may indicate corrections to spelling of names or to addresses. This information could also be used to correct the register.
Depending on the type of annotation made on returned mail, the processing of capturing the data on the annotations can be automated to varying degrees. If outgoing address labels include an identifying bar code or identity number or code, that identifier could be used to simplify the data capture of any annotations on returned mail. If annotations fall into defined categories, then data capture of such information can be automated to a high degree. For example, mail containing identifying bar codes that state the voter no longer lives at the registered address could be separately categorised and run through a bar code reader, so as to record the relevant data in the voter register database.
Where annotations show corrections to names or addresses, an operator would be required to key the changes into the electronic register. This process could be speeded up by using bar codes or identity numbers to quickly bring up the voter's record for correction.
Functionality of data entry systems
Data entry systems used for inputting voter register data, from either hard copy or electronic sources, can be designed to perform a range of functions that will add value to the process.
A voter register is typically a continually changing entity, particularly where a continuous register is used. Even where a periodic register is used, changes must be made. A data entry system should permit addition of new records, amendment of existing records and deletion of records. A voter register can also (ideally) be designed to track changes to its records over time, so that a voter's registration history is available.
Voter registers can also be designed to accept data impacting on a voter's record from a variety of different sources, where practicable. For example, a voter's original record may derive from an application form completed by the voter. That voter's address details may be updated at a later date by data provided electronically by another government agency.
