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.”