The qualifications for voter registration should parallel the basic qualifications for voting. These are normally set out in a country’s constitution, or in a bill or charter of rights. Most countries that aspire to be democracies try to maintain universal suffrage for all citizens who have reached adulthood, customarily age 18. There may be residence requirements for registration and voting, especially in a system based on separate electoral districts. Many countries restrict voting by citizens whose rights have been suspended because they have been convicted of a crime or deemed mentally incompetent.
Fewer Barriers to Registration and Voting
In the past, there were many more criteria for determining eligibility to participate in democratic decision making, such as property ownership, race, gender and “moral fitness”; anyone considered not to meet the criteria was excluded. Over time these criteria have lost their legitimacy and been dropped. A similar liberalisation may be seen with some current qualifications. For instance, some countries allow foreign nationals to vote in local elections provided they fulfill specified residence requirements. In countries such as Mauritius, both nationals and persons from Commonwealth countries living are allowed to vote in elections. In New Zealand, foreigners holding permanent residence are allowed to vote, even if they are abroad at the time of the election. Increasingly, countries have allowed their nationals living abroad to vote; recent examples are South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iraq.
Citizenship Requirements as a Barrier to Registration
Newly emerging states or countries with borders that have recently changed or been disputed often must struggle with the question of when a resident attains citizenship status and, with it, full democratic rights. This is not merely a question for the election management authority. Instead it is a political matter that brings up fundamental issues of governance, such as the relationship between nation and state and the nature of citizenship in the new state. But there is a direct impact on elections if rigid citizenship requirements prevent a large proportion of a country’s residents from registering to vote. In an age when most elections around the world are monitored by election observers, including international and citizen observers, and representatives of political parties, erecting barriers to registration may easily lead to charges of violating the democratic principles of free and fair elections.
Identifying Qualified Voters
Electoral administrators may choose from different methods to confirm that potential voters have met citizenship qualifications and can identify themselves. In countries with a periodic voters’ list, the method used is often door-to-door registration or the establishment of voter registration centres, or a combination of the two. The procedure may be more complicated when potential voters present themselves to electoral officials. In countries where residents normally carry personal identification, such as a birth certificate, passport, civil identity card or driver’s license, simply producing that identification is often sufficient. If residents normally do not carry personal identification, particularly in less developed countries, a sworn statement may be needed to establish someone’s identity, or another citizen may even have to vouch for that person.
In countries with a continuous list, the procedure varies depending on whether someone is registering for the first time or changing information already on the list. First-time registration differs little from the method used for a periodic list. For example, to prove identity and eligibility, someone who has newly reached voting age may show his or her birth certificate together with photo ID, while new citizens may show immigration documents. If it is a matter of changing the information for someone already on the list, it may be necessary to show the relevant identification perhaps a marriage certificate for a change of name or a driver’s license for a change of address.
In countries with a civil registry, the identity of a potential voter is normally established by using that person’s identification number to check his or her civil record. Information can be transferred from the civil registry to the voter registry on a regular basis so that all changes to the civil registry will be reflected in the voter registry.
Voting Away from Normal Voting Station
Many electoral systems require voters to be registered at a particular voting station and limit voting to people registered at that location. It is often necessary to make exceptions, however, for voters who must be away from their normal place of residence during the election. One solution is to allow early voting for anyone who will be away during the normal voting time. Another solution is to provide a certified transfer of registration to someone who will be absent for reasons deemed to be valid and legitimate. The reasons may be defined very narrowly to open this method of voting only to election officers and/or military personnel absent on official business; or they may be defined more broadly to cover anyone who finds voting on election day inconvenient, like in countries such as Botswana and South Africa
Exemptions from Voting
Election management authorities usually try to register everyone who is eligible to vote. But in countries where voting is mandatory, people may wish to be excused from voting. In Brazil, for example, voting is mandatory for all citizens aged 18 to 70, unless they are illiterate, in which case it is optional. Voting is also optional for people aged 16 or 17, or anyone over age 70. A registered voter in Brazil who wishes to be excused from voting must apply for permission to an electoral judge in his or her electoral district.
Image:
Afghan Elections 2009 (Kandahar City) / Élections Afghanes 2009 (Kandahar) by Canada in Afghanistan / Canada en Afghanistan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic License.
