Once a
person’s eligibility to cast an external vote is established, there is usually
a second requirement to be met—the need to be registered on the electoral
register in order to show that he or she is entitled to vote. Special
registration requirements may be necessary for external electors, or they may
be required to register in the same way as all other electors. Registration
requirements thus introduce a second stage into the entitlement process and may
serve to limit the numbers of persons who are eligible to cast an external
vote.
In most
countries ordinary electors are registered in respect of particular locations—
usually their home residence—so that they can establish their right to vote in
particular electoral districts and for regional levels of government. As it may
be difficult or impossible to allocate an external elector to a particular
locality in the home country, it is sometimes desirable to use a special
registration process for external electors.
Where the
eligibility requirements and/or voting rights for external electors are
different from those for in-country electors, it is essential that external
electors use a separate registration process. For example, where they are
entitled to vote for national elections but not local elections, the electoral
register must clearly distinguish external electors.
Whether
external electors are listed on a special external electoral register or are
listed on the normal electoral register will depend on local circumstances. One
relevant factor would be whether a country has one national electoral register
or different registers for different levels of government. Another would be the
level of technical sophistication of the electoral register. Australia, for
example, essentially maintains one computerized national electoral register
that is used for elections for all levels of government. While it has a
separate registration form for external electors, their names are stored on the
national electoral register with all other registered electors, with an
annotation indicating that they have registered as external electors. Other
countries, particularly those that have different electoral registers for
different regions and/or levels of government, might be more likely to maintain
separate electoral registers for external electors. Where electoral registers
are kept by different authorities for different levels of government or for different
regions, such as the different states in the USA, the process for registration
as an external elector may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and/or from
place to place.
In some
cases, simple registration on the normal electoral register is sufficient for
an external elector to retain the right to vote, without the need for special
registration as an external elector. For example, Swedish residents living
abroad remain on the electoral register for an absence of up to ten years. Only
those who are absent for longer than ten years need to register in order to
remain on the electoral register.
People who
are absent for short periods, such as those who are on holiday, generally do
not need to apply for special external elector status if they are listed on the
normal electoral register.
Where a
person is absent for a longer period, many countries require special
registration as an external elector. This is particularly important where the
electoral register is regularly reviewed, and people are removed from it if
they do not appear to be resident at their registered address.
Registration
as an external elector usually requires the elector to complete a form, which
is then processed by the authority responsible for keeping the electoral
register. In some cases, the person may be required to provide documentary
proof of eligibility, such as proof of citizenship, age or residence. When
considering whether such evidence should be required, attention should be given
to the feasibility of this requirement. If a person is applying for
registration from outside the home country, the requirement that identity
documents (IDs) be provided may be impractical or unreasonable. Where a country
is in transition or is otherwise subject to civil instability, many citizens,
particularly refugees, may not have valid IDs (see chapter 7 and the case
studies on Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iraq). In these
cases, the registration process may need to rely on a declaration signed by the
applicant and/or a declaration signed by a witness.
In most
cases it would be appropriate to apply the same level of authentication
requirements to registration as an external elector as apply to the normal
electoal registration process.
Where a
specific external elector registration form is required, care should be taken
to ensure that the form seeks sufficient information to demonstrate that the
applicant is entitled to be registered. A registration form could for example
require the applicant to state how they acquired citizenship, when they last
lived in the home country, whether and when they intend to return to the home
country (if relevant) and when they were born.
Keeping a
register of external electors up to date is a difficult task. Electoral
registration authorities are unlikely be able to review the status of
registered external electors who are resident abroad. In practice, the most
feasible approach is to rely on external electors to update their details when
applying to register or when actually voting. One way to keep the electoral
register free of out-of-date entries is to remove the names of those who do not
vote, for example, for one or two national elections in a row.
