Voter Registration

Topic IndexAdministration Considerations

Voter registration initiatives may use varying procedures but they all must address certain common issues and concerns:

Periodic list, continuous list or civil registry?: Voter registration systems are shaped by historical circumstances and local conditions. Not one system is best for all circumstances and cases. The choice of a system can be guided by a wealth of experience acquired locally or in other jurisdictions. In addition, it is not a matter of simply choosing one of the three systems. Within each there may be considerable variations and opportunities for improvement. For example, in a system using a periodic list with stationary voter registration centres, the number and capacity of mobile registration units could be increased to reach out to more voters.
Administrative framework: Each voter registration system needs an administrative framework, specifically for the various tasks to be undertaken by that system. The requirements of the administrative framework should be within the capacity of the election management authority.
Logistical planning: Voter registration is always labour-intensive, with spikes in activity as Election Day approaches. Most registration systems use a reverse calendar to identify the targets to be met in the days before an election, and they establish their operational plan accordingly. For instance, if the voter register is compiled centrally but printed locally (that is, at voting stations), the election management authority must know in advance each location’s needs in terms of equipment and timeframe for printing. This will help determine cut-off dates, for example, in order to file notices of objection and hearing appeals.
Registration data collection: Registration data may be gathered through various methods, including door-to-door registrations, voter registration centres, direct voter registration (either paper-based or electronic), and data sharing among government bodies. The data collection method will depend, at least in part, on the type of voter registration system used. For example, periodic lists usually are developed through door-to-door registrations or voter registration centres, while continuous registers and civil registries generally rely on data sharing among government bodies. But there may be overlaps and variations. In some countries with a continuous register, door-to-door registration is conducted in areas of high residential mobility to increase the chances of reaching difficult-to-register voters.
Procurement: Voter registration tends to be not only labour-intensive but materials-intensive. It involves the completion of forms that can be printed on paper or electronically generated as computer files. Even in a country with a continuous register relying on information sharing among government bodies, the election management authority usually notifies each person eligible to vote about the information it has on file for him or her. Officials therefore need registration forms, computers, printers and data security infrastructure, and sometimes they also need to rent facilities and office furniture. For this reason it is important to have clear policies and standards for materials procurement. Along with bulk purchases, standards can lead to cost savings, minimise duplication of effort, and ensure that all registration centres meet similar standards of quality and appearance.
Operational infrastructure: Different types of voter registration require different types of infrastructure. There should be no confusion about matters such as lines of authority, the chain of command, or the degree of independence or control allowed to each position within the administrative apparatus.
Voter education: Any voter registration drive affords excellent opportunities for voter education. This may focus on straightforward issues such as the date of an approaching election and when and where to register and vote. It may also target specific groups such as young voters, encouraging them to participate in the democratic process, or may reach out to members of ethnic or linguistic minorities by providing voter education materials in their first language.
Worker selection and training: Since voter registration is almost always labour-intensive, the election management authority must ensure that it can meet personnel needs and deal effectively with spikes in activity. The relatively quiet time between elections is ideal for developing, revising, finalising and printing training materials for the temporary employees who will be hired for data collection or revision. In addition, to retain its permanent employees, every election management authority must give them opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
Implementing an action plan: The action plan is based on the administrative framework and logistical plan formulated at the outset. Among the factors that may affect it are the size of the task, the often highly politicised environment, the need for voter registration to reinforce the legitimacy of the electoral process and the attention paid to registration by political parties, the media and other players. This means that the action plan must be flexible and allow for administrative changes to respond to changing conditions.
Compiling registration data: Every voter registration system involves initial compilation of the registration data. The information may come from voter registration centres, door-to-door registration or other government bodies, or it may be provided in its entirety by the civil authority responsible for the civil registry. Whatever the case, at some point, the election management authority must have the initial registration data. Staff members enter the data into a database that creates a file either for each person eligible to vote or for each address. How the database is managed will depend on which of the two organising principles is used.
Storing registration data: Security is a key issue in storing registration data. The data may be collected centrally or locally, although even systems that use central data collection often allow the data to be vetted locally for accuracy. The data may be stored either centrally or locally; in most cases particularly with computerised registers, data will move back and forth between central and local storage points. Since voters’ lists are often printed locally, there must be a cut-off date for entering changes into the lists, whether preliminary or final. At this stage, data for printing the lists will be transferred to the local registration centre or voting station.
Production of a preliminary voters’ list: Whatever the registration system, the election management authority must produce a preliminary voters’ list, usually relatively early in the election period. This provides the basis for preparing a revised list. It can also be distributed to political parties for campaign purposes. The production of the preliminary list marks the end of the initial registration period and the start of the revision period.
Promotion strategies: The election management authority must make individual voters and interested parties aware of the preliminary list. It may do this by placing advertisements in local newspapers and national TV channels, displaying the list in public locations, mailing cards indicating the voters registered at each address and providing copies of the voters’ list to political parties. Some voters wishing to remain anonymous may prefer to register as “silent voters”; this means their names do not appear on any publicly available voters’ list.
Changes to the preliminary voters’ list: In the revision period, citizens can report errors in their registration information; for instance, if they are not registered but should be, they are listed at the wrong address, or their name or other identifying information is recorded incorrectly. Another correction that may be made at this stage is the removal of the name of someone who has died. Revision causes a spike in the activity of the election management authority. The efforts lead to improvements in the currency, accuracy and completeness of the list.
Challenges to the preliminary voters’ list: Individuals may ask for their information to be changed, or a third party (e.g. a political party) may request changes to the information for one or more people on the preliminary list. In either case there must be an opportunity to present a challenge. If it is rejected, the claimant must be able to appeal the decision.
Production of a final voters’ list: When the period allowed for claims and objections is past, the election management authority produces the final voters’ list. This is the list that will be used for the electoral event.
Distribution of the final voters’ list: The final voters’ list is usually certified centrally and must then be distributed to voting stations. Lists may be printed centrally and transported to the local stations, or files may be transferred electronically for local printing.
Processing revision lists for early voters: Voters are usually able to vote in advance instead of voting on Election Day. It is important for the final voters’ list to note whoever has voted early.

Personal tools

ELECTORAL FRAMEWORK

ELECTORAL PARTICIPATION

ELECTORAL MANAGEMENT

ELECTORAL INTEGRITY

ELECTORAL OPERATIONS

Voter Registration