Youth and Elections

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Topic IndexKey obstacles to registration

Several obstacles hinder youth in gaining registration to vote:[i]

The lack of suitable legal identification papers, such as a citizenship certificate or passport, prevents many young people from registering to vote.
Setting early registration deadlines may disenfranchise individuals who reach eligible voting age, commonly 18, after the deadline but before the election.
The indirect or direct costs of obtaining identification or registering to vote can be prohibitive where countries impose charges.
The time-consuming nature of registration can be a hurdle, especially for highly mobile people, often students and younger people, who may move frequently.
Registering may present specific difficulties for some women, especially where registration requires attendance in person, photo identification, or proof of identity documents, which they may not hold. Requiring photo ID can cause difficulty in some cultures and contexts, where women may be uncomfortable displaying their face outside the home. Travelling to register might also place women in danger, where they are required to travel long distances or to register in isolated or violent places.
A lack of understanding of the electoral requirements for registering and voting may prevent young people from participating.
In some places there is a gap between the legal framework and election procedures. For example, the legal framework might state that all citizens over 16 or 18 at the time of the election are eligible to vote, but EMB procedures end up limiting that to those who are 16 or 18 at the time of registration. EMBs need to amend their procedures to ensure that during registration all who turn of age by the time of the election date, rather than by the time of registration, can register to vote. Sometimes the language in the legal framework needs to be adjusted, but usually it’s a matter of effective EMB procedures to ensure that those who turn of age between the end of registration and election day are not excluded.

[i] Sourced from UN Handbook and Circle research.

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Youth and Elections