A system using a periodic list must organise a registration drive before an electoral event to produce a voters list for that event.
One person, or one position, must have overall responsibility for the detailed planning and implementation of local voter registration exercises. This is normally the registration officer or official. Some countries also use independent commissions at the regional and/or local level, paralleling the structure at the national or central level. In this case, it is necessary to have clearly defined responsibilities and a reporting protocol in place.
Working within the legal and administrative framework of the country or sub-national unit, the registration officer must specify the tasks to be accomplished on each day of the voter registration exercise. Typically, plans must realistically assess:
- the amount of information to be collected
- the number of voters to be registered
- the number of residences to be visited
- where the legal framework provides registration of prionsers the number of prisoners in prison who are eligible and may wish to register (South Africa)
- –the staffing requirements for these visits
Also needed to be estimated is the time required for processing each voter’s information and (where appropriate) the time for entering the data in some type of recording format, whether electronically on computer or by hand or on typewriter. Sometimes the data will then be forwarded to the central election administration. Alternatively, data and records may be retained at the local level for the production of the voters list, in which case the central election management authority will have no involvement in preparing the list.
The registration officer may require sufficient resources for unforeseen emergency measures that might be needed to complete the voter registration exercise on time.
Door-to-door registration normally requires a detailed breakdown of the homes , hospitals, prisons where applicable, to be visited each day by each registration officer or pair of registration officers. Where registration centres are used, plans should identify the location of each, and should specify mobile registration units (if any) and their location throughout the registration period. The goal is to ensure that the registration centres are fully equipped when registration begins. In practice, this may not always be possible. The longer the delay, however, the less efficient the process may be.
For all categories of election workers, recruitment methods and training procedures should be stipulated. All training materials are usually prepared before registration begins and training of staff conducted in advance or the registration exercise.. A contingency plan may be required for training workers who were unable to attend the scheduled training sessions, as well as for finding and training replacements.
Close attention should be given to population density, literacy rates, ethnicity, language, local customs and the urban-rural population split. Plans should be adjusted as dictated by these factors.
The voter registration process must be broken down into manageable geographic units. In the case of door-to-door registration, for example, the norm is an administrative unit of approximately 250 to 500 voters. Each unit is then further analysed in terms of the distances it involves, the location of boundaries, the number of households it contains and similar issues. If enough time is allowed for door-to-door registration, the administrative units could be larger. There will be significant administrative inefficiency if door-to-door registration is undertaken without specifying geographic units. If required mobile voter registration stations must be anticipated and provided for.
The methodology for collecting voter information is normally set well in advance of registration. Also to be specified are procedures for reaching voters who were not at home when registration officers visit, or for dealing with other contingencies.
Lines of authority must be clearly defined, along with the steps involved in delegating authority. Step-by-step procedures must be set out for each major component of the registration exercise.
A communications policy must be developed for all members of the electoral administration, both permanent and temporary staff. Typically, communications policy will specify how the registration officer should maintain contact with the central election administration during voter registration, who is the contact person for media inquiries, and how and to whom regular updates should be provided on the registration exercise.
Scheduled hours of work must be established, along with rates of pay for various job classifications and the method of payment for all workers. All officials should receive information about their compensation package before they start their work.
Choice of staff may be an issue in some countries. While many countries rely on civil servants in other countries identifying temporary staff may be a sensitive issues where an electoral management authority may need to take into account inclusivity, gender or other requirements.
A system using door-to-door registration should specify the steps involved in terminating registration officers’ employment on completion of the project. A system using registration centres should specify the steps for dismantling the sites.
