There are other measures that EMBs can use to
encourage youth voters, and assist groups who may experience difficulty
registering. These measures include:
- Education and awareness campaigns to
inform young voters, using flyers and brochures, radio and TV advertising,
social media and online communications
- Mobile registration units, “taking
registration to the people,” that visit sports or community centers, schools
and universities, at youth-specific events, and in remote locations. (This
measure can also benefit specific groups who are otherwise unable to reach
registration centers). Mobile registration units have advantages and
disadvantages – and would need to be considered in light of the context. Also,
in some cases mobile registration units could be counterproductive, because
they could. build expectations of the voters that they will be able to cast the
vote in the same location where they registered, which might not be the case.
- Election-day registration, where
voters can register and vote at the same time. This method is used in some US
states. In North Dakota, voters do not need to register at all. They simply
need to provide acceptable ID when voting. In cases where voter list is drawn
from civil registry, voter registration is not required. As a caution, same day
registration generally should be avoided and used only in exceptional cases
(where it is contextually appropriate), as it potentially opens doors for
electoral fraud.
- Gender-sensitive programs that can
encourage and support women to enter and participate in the electoral process
- Online registration and voter data
verification, where internet connections are available, facilitating first-time
voter registration and enabling individuals to check and update their details
online. Also, the ability to check your polling center location can be done
online.
- A fair and transparent system for
resolving electoral complaints and enquiries, with information readily
available to voters, candidates, and political parties. The resolution process
should be easy to follow, accessible, free of hurdles, and timely in its
decisions and remedies.
Example: In the US, a national, online, mobile-friendly voter
registration platform, Rock the Vote, has registered over 6 million new voters.
Using Rock the Vote, young people can check their registration status, register
or pre-register, and find out the electoral rules that apply in their state.[i]
Example: In Afghanistan and Mozambique, women-only
registration teams are used to register women. In Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen,
Nepal and Pakistan, separate queuing arrangements are in place, such as having separate
voting rooms or venues, as well the use of security personnel from both sexes
to conduct body searches. In Afghanistan, officials receive gender training to
ensure that gender-sensitive processes are embedded in standard duties.[ii]
Example: In 2016, India’s election commission established a
complaint mechanism using an IT platform to manage complaints received through
multiple channels in a timely integrated way and to keep the complainant
informed of progress (nvsp.in).
