Self-Initiated Registration

Like voluntary registration, self-initiated registration is based on the view that voting is a right of citizenship. Consequently it is up to citizens to contact the election administration to ensure that they are registered. The difference is that voluntary registration may be initiated by either the individual voter (in which case it is self-initiated) or the election management authority (in which case it is state-initiated). A self-initiated system of voter registration is likely to be adopted as a matter of necessity rather than principle.

Sometimes there are significant practical barriers to state-initiated registration. For example, the postal service may simply be unable to effectively reach all or even most voters. High costs may rule out door-to-door registration.

Self-initiated voter registration systems may take many forms:

• The election management authority may establish voter registration centres, and people wanting to vote must go there to contact election officials. The centres may be stationary, mobile or both;
• Citizens may register with other agencies, such as motor vehicle bureaus, which regularly share their information with the election management authority;
• Similarly, citizens may inform the postal service of a change of address and the information is passed on to the election management authority. In one case, the election management authority is even organised as a department within the postal service, with functions closely integrated; and
• The election management authority may maintain a Web site from which an intending voter can download a voter registration form, to be completed and sent to the election management authority. The Web site may even support direct on-line voter registration.

With a self-initiated system, registration rates tend to be lower than with a system in which the state initiates contact. This is largely because registration is voluntary. Despite that, there are ways of increasing registration:

• Establish a large number of voter registration centres.
• Use mobile units so that voters need not travel long distances to register.
• Complete all steps of the process  including the issuing of voter identification cards, if applicable  in a single registration contact. This is a considerable challenge, especially if a complicated voter identification card must be produced or if records must be checked to confirm the identity of the person registering.
• Allow people to register members of their family, lowering the number of voters who must come in person to the registration centre.
• Appoint regional deputy registrars to relieve administrative bottlenecks.
• Permit registration by mail if conditions are appropriate.
• Post downloadable registration material on the election management authority’s Web site.
• Where practical and appropriate, make it possible for citizens to register on-line.
• Consider establishing a provisional register of young people who will reach voting age in one or two years. Where appropriate, consider encouraging registration by setting up voter education programs in high schools.

State-Initiated Registration

State-initiated registration is based on the view that electoral administrators have a responsibility to attempt to register all voters. They may meet their responsibility by means of door-to-door registration to develop a periodic list, or by maintaining a full, complete and current continuous list or civil registry.

State-initiated registration is bound to cost more than self-initiated registration because the state must make the effort to contact all citizens. For the system to be comprehensive and inclusive, the state must also reach hard-to-contact voters, including those who frequently move, those in non-traditional homes and those who do not respond to initial requests for information. The Canadian state puts requisite funds at the disposal of local election officials to conduct door-to-door voter registration drives in specific areas hosting a high number of unregistered voters. Although more expensive, however, a state-initiated system will produce a more complete list of eligible voters than will a voluntary registration system.

To a certain extent state-initiated registration presupposes a greater capacity on the part of the electoral administration to locate all citizens. This capacity is likely to exist in an economically advanced country, for two reasons:

• Its citizens have permanent residences, served by a national postal service.
• Its structure for administering elections is often more developed and always better funded. To support state-initiated voter registration, the election management authority generally seeks data-sharing arrangements with other government bodies that collect information on citizens. These may include the postal service, the housing authority, the tax office, the motor vehicle or driver’s licence bureau, and election management authorities at other levels of government.

A Mixed Strategy

There is also a third option, in which citizens and the state share responsibility for registration. The state takes steps to facilitate registration, and citizens must do their part to complete the process.

This mixed strategy lends itself to less economically advanced countries that seek to increase registration rates but have limited resources and infrastructure. Under the strategy, the government fixes dates for a well-publicised registration period, and establishes a large number of registration centres, including mobile units. Citizens still must take the initiative of going to one of the centres to register. But if the election administration adopts a forward-looking and inclusive approach, it can reduce the time that citizens must invest to register and can make the system easier to understand.

In fact, even in more economically developed countries, voter registration systems often follow a mixed strategy, with the election management authority initiating contact and citizens bearing some responsibility for ensuring that their voter registration information is accurate and up to date. For example, in a country with a continuous register, the election management authority may conduct door-to-door registration in a high-mobility area as part of a targeted registration initiative. If no one is at home when the registration officers visit an address, they may leave a card for the resident to complete and return to the election management authority. At the same time, the election management authority may make forms publicly available, perhaps at the post office or on its Web site; anyone wishing to vote then can complete a form and return it. Both citizen and state thus take some responsibility for voter registration.