Voter registration standards and country case studies

Facilitator - Sara Staino , November 15. 2006

Original question:

At our electoral commission, we are, right now, undertaking an overall assessment with the purpose to identify and introduce possible improvements to our voter registration system.

I would like to know what are the main internationally-recognised standards to be taken in consideration for the system and procedures to compile, maintain and update a voter register.
I would also be grateful to obtain - if possible - some examples of how voter registers are compiled, maintained and updated in other countries throughout the world.

Any information you could provide on the above questions would be of a great help.

Quote from the ACE Encyclopaedia on Voter Registration:

"Voter registration establishes the eligibility of individuals to cast a ballot. As one of the more costly, time-consuming and complex aspects of the electoral process, it often accounts for a considerable portion of the budget, staff time and resources of an election authority. If conducted well, voter registration confers legitimacy on the process. If the registration system is flawed, the entire process may be perceived as illegitimate".

ACE Network Facilitator's response:

The best source to address the first part of your question on recognised international standards for voter registration - is to refer you to the publication of International IDEA "International Electoral Standards: Guidelines for Reviewing the Legal Framework of Elections" (click on the link to download the full publication on a pdf format).

Included below are relevant excerpts from Chapter 7 of IDEA "Guidelines", which covers the subject of "Voter registration and voter registers":

"The legal framework should require that voter registers be maintained in a manner that is transparent and accurate, protects the right of qualified citizens to register, and prevents the unlawful or fraudulent registration or removal of persons.

Transparency

The right to vote is violated if the legal framework makes it difficult for a person to register to vote, as normally a person who is not registered cannot legally vote. The right to vote is also violated if the legal framework fails to ensure accuracy in voter registers or facilitates fraudulent voting. The international standard for voter registration is that the register must be comprehensive, inclusive, accurate and up to date, and the process must be fully transparent. The process should facilitate the registration of a qualified voter, while at the same time safeguarding against the registration of ineligible persons.

Some of the fundamental issues that must be clearly defined in the legal framework for elections are:

citizenship and age qualifications (see related links to ACE Encyclopaedia);
residential qualifications;
methods of voter registration (see related links to ACE Encyclopaedia);
process for dealing with objections and appeals;
identification of voters; and
documentation required by voters (see related links to ACE Encyclopaedia).

All the above must be clearly stated, objectively determinable and not subject to arbitrary decision.

Transparency requires that voter registers be public documents that can be monitored and made available for inspection at no cost to the requester. The legal framework should clearly specify who may inspect voter registers, how the inspection will take place, and the period when voter registers are available for public inspection. It should also specify who is permitted to request registration changes, additions and deletions, the procedure for making such requests, and during what time period such requests may be made. Requests for changes, additions and deletions in voter registers should only be limited to a minimum time period before a given election in order to finalize registers.

a long line to register A person should not be limited to making requests that relate only to herself/himself. When a person is permitted to make a request that affects another person, such other person must be notified of the request and be permitted to respond to the request. Changes, additions and deletions should be made only upon the presentation of specific documentation and in accordance with the procedure identified in the legislation. Before finalizing voter registers, in addition to the general public, all registered political parties should also be given notice of and provided access to such registers so that they may verify, object to or seek to add such names as they wish. Decisions on requests should be made expeditiously, within a set time period provided by the law. Decisions must be subject to appeal to be determined expeditiously, also within a set time-period.

The legal framework may provide that the responsibility to register lies either with the individual - self-initiated voter registration where the individual voter has the responsibility to approach the registration authorities to get herself/himself registered - or with the state - state-initiated voter registration where the state, the EMB or other authorized body sends its official enumerators from house to house to register voters.

In some cases the responsibility may be a combination of both active and passive voter registration. In all cases, however, the final responsibility for the accuracy of the voter registers lies with a local or central state authority or EMB, which must ensure that voter registers are maintained in an accurate and transparent manner. This should both facilitate and protect the right of citizens of legal age to register and prevent unlawful or fraudulent registration.

The legal framework should require that voter registers be systematically updated and corrected in a transparent manner to allow electoral participants and voters the opportunity to review their accuracy. It should also provide for voter registers to be updated either on a continuous basis or periodically by a certain cut-off date, in advance of polling.

Protection of personal data and information

The legal framework often requires that a person disclose certain information to authorities when registering as a voter or as a candidate. Legislation related directly to voter registration should not allow for the collection, use or dissemination of such personal data or information for any purpose other than the exercise of suffrage rights. This includes provisions that relate to fingerprints, photographs and personal identification numbers, as well as to ethnicity or other factors that could lead to discrimination or place the voter at risk of personal harm. The legal provisions should specify what personal information and data will be publicly listed on the voter register. As an lternative, some jurisdictions rely on the civil registration as the basis of their voter registers.

The legislation should also clearly state the permitted uses of information obtained from inspection of the voter registers and whether the information can be used for purposes other than challenging the registration of a particular voter. In particular, the law should state whether the information may or may not be used for the campaign activities of political parties and candidates, for police investigations or for commercial or other purposes. The legal framework should also state the sanctions for misuse of information obtained from voter registers".

The "Guidelines for Reviewing the Legal Framework of Elections" also provide a list of questions that may be used to assess as whether a voter registration system is in compliance with internationally-recognised standards. These are:

Does the registration process provide for accurate voter registers?
Is the process itself transparent?
Does the legal framework contain provisions for regular and timely updating of voter registers before an election?
Are the requirements for voter registration stated in clear and unambiguous language?
Does the law clearly identify what documents are necessary to register as a voter?
Are the provisions for challenging a registration decision stated in clear and unambiguous language?
Is the time period for challenging a registration decision clearly stated?
Are voters protected from the wrongful disclosure of personal data?

getting to the CORE When considering international standards for voter registration, it is also important to look at issues of cost, sustainability and affordability of voter registration systems, particularly in the context of emerging democracies.

Another very useful resource I would like to highlight for your work is the publication "Getting to the CORE - A Global Survey on the Cost of Registration and Elections" a joint project by IFES and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to assist governments and independent organizations in their efforts to identify and examine all forms of election-related costs and funding sources.

The Project’s primary objectives were to evaluate the methods by which election budgets are established, tracked and funded; to identify the cost-management practices that can be adopted by EMBs; and to establish a methodology for the comparative assessment of electoral costs.

When you download the full publication using the link provided above, please note that the CORE survey contains a number of case studies - covering issues of costs in Australia, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Iraq, Mexico, Spain and Sweden - which could certainly serve as a useful reference for your work.

Finally, to answer the second part of your question on some examples of how voter registers are compiled, maintained and updated in other countries of the world, I would like to refer you to the "Comparative Study of Voter Registration Instruments and Practices" developed by Henry Valentino, Alan Wall and Henry Rojas and commissioned by Development Associates, Inc.

Although has a primary focus on Ukraine, the Study contains a number of interesting case studies illustrating alternative voter registration methods in the following countries:

Links to related resources:

ACE Encyclopaedia: General issues about voter registration
Alternative Methods- Pro and Con
Impact of Voter Registration Methods
Comparative Data: Voter registration
Comparative Data: How frequently is the voters register updated?
ACE "Focus on ... Cost of Registration and Elections" (IFES and UNDP)
Quality standards of voter lists

Please don’t hesitate to contact the ACE Practitioners' Network again should you need further information.

The opinions expressed by the ACE Network Facilitator do not necessarily reflect those of the ACE Partner organizations.

ACE PRACTITIONERS' NETWORK

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Voter registration standards and country case studies