Early voting is a common feature of democratic electoral systems. It allows voting by people who are otherwise eligible, but cannot go to the polls on Election Day. There are two situations involving registration and early voting:
- Someone not already registered seeks to vote at an early voting station. A decision must be made whether the person can register and vote. This is not an administrative decision, but rather one usually made by politicians and set out in electoral law. The same rule could be expected to apply in this case and the case of someone not registered who seeks to vote at the regular polls on Election Day. The law may give the early voting station the authority to add the person to the voters list. The law may also prescribe the form of ballot and, if applicable, ballot envelope to be used.
- Early voting has taken place and the voters list must be updated for use at the regular polls on Election Day. A standard procedure, the update involves striking off the names of those who voted in the early elections. This ensures that anyone who voted at the early election cannot vote again at the regular Election Day.
