Some legal frameworks for voter registration allow the suppression of a voter's address from the voter’s register (and from the voters’ lists used in voting stations) in cases where the voter can show that inclusion of the address on such a publicly available document could lead to genuine threats to their safety.
These facilities could be made available to persons such as police officers, prison warders, judicial figures or ordinary members of the public who have been subject to threats of death or violence, and persons in witness protection programs.
Voting Method
Where such provisions exist, special voting methods will be required to allow the checking of the eligibility of votes cast in the names of such people.
These may be similar to those in some systems of absentee voting, with the ballot being sealed in an envelope to which the voter's identification verification are attached (excluding address) for subsequent checking by administration staff (using signature or other comparisons) before determining whether the ballot should be counted.
A special marking on the voter’s list to indicate that this person has been issued ballot material may be required. Such cases would generally be best handled personally by the voting station manager at the voting station.
Planning
In preparing for voting station operations, electoral district managers should contact the voters in question, to advise them of the special voting provisions in place and determine whether they will be using any other special voting facility such as absentee voting, and if so, where.
The voting station manager at voting stations where such electors will vote should also be contacted, to inform them that such voters whose address and identity cannot be verified from the voters list will be attending. Inventory preparation and materials for such voting stations must ensure that any special forms required for voting or packaging such votes are provided to the relevant voting stations.
