Voting is a right. Therefore, political authorities
and public officials have a duty to make registration processes as convenient
as possible for eligible citizens. However, registration can be a major hurdle
in getting young voters to participate in the electoral cycle.
Civil registration is the basis for establishing legal
identity and is necessary to obtain rights to vote. However, almost half of the
world’s population are not registered at birth and do not possess legal
identity documents. Without these documents many individuals, including young
people, lack the legal identity needed for voter registration.
The UN has recognized this limitation in SDG 16,
target 9, which states: “By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including
birth registration.”
