Voter Registration

Topic IndexPeriodic List - Disadvantages

The periodic list has a number of disadvantages:

The entire voter registration process takes place within a relatively short time frame, increasing the risk of disruption caused by severe weather or political turmoil or a strike of registration officers in the case of unpaid fees.
Particularly if election dates are not fixed by law, very limited time is allowed for gathering information and making the necessary changes. A rushed job often leads to some compromises on the quality in order to complete the preliminary voters list in time for the election campaign, and the official list in time for Election Day.
Of the three performance criteria of currency, accuracy and completeness, the periodic list is especially susceptible to problems with accuracy and completeness of data. In both cases, the cause is the short time frame. This makes comprehensive data checking more difficult, giving rise to accuracy problems. It also adds to the difficulty of reaching some voters for registration, giving rise to completeness problems.
The campaign period may have to be longer to allow for development of the voters list. If registration takes place during the campaign, the quality of the list may itself become an important election issue, providing opposition parties with an opportunity to criticize the government.
With collection limited to a short time frame, the task of processing voter registration data places a heavy burden on other support areas, such as data entry and information processing. To allow enough time for data entry, registration may have to take place well in advance of the election. As a result, persons who reach voting age after registration ends but before Election Day may not have the opportunity to vote unless special measures are taken to register them.
The periodic list has a significant cost spike. The cost of registering voters is concentrated within the limited registration period rather than spread throughout the electoral cycle.
The cost spike involved may be difficult for some governments to absorb. Governments can usually handle modest budget increases but they may be challenged to provide the funds and resources needed for developing a periodic list.
The cost for staff training and the quality of training could be counted as some of the disadvantages. Countries that have a limited budget may have challenges funding the provision of training for registration personnel. Training of the registration staff may not always be of good quality because registration staff is only trained a few days or a week prior to the commencement of the registration exercise.

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Voter Registration