In most electoral systems, political parties are required to register before they can field candidates
and compete in elections. In some systems, independent candidates cannot run for office and
must be affiliated with a registered party. Registration procedures and requirements for party
registration can be a source of integrity problems if they are used to exclude certain parties or
actors from the electoral process.
Registration procedures that are straightforward and widely publicized can avoid many problems. For example, an open registration
process, with enough time allowed before every election, enables new parties to register. Subjectivity in determining eligibility can be diminished if the review is done on the basis of predetermined criteria using standard procedures. Parties are notified in writing whether their application has been accepted or rejected. This notification usually inlcudes the reasons for the rejection and provides information on the appeal process.
Registering usually entails obligations that parties must meet. To be fair, these should be
clear, standard and up-front so that the parties know what is required before they register.
Most electoral management or oversight bodies require registered political parties to provide information on their activities, membership and funding. This requirement helps ensure the integrity of the process. Some of the integrity issues that can arise from this include the type of information and how much of it is needed. Reporting requirements that are complicated or require extensive amounts of information may become burdensome and could discourage some parties from registering. It can also raise privacy issues which are discussed later in this section. Reporting on expenditures and
contributions is discussed in Campaign Financing.
Registration is optional in some systems. This is the case, for example, in Canada where:
Registration brings with it strict reporting requirements but also several advantages. For
example, a candidate endorsed by a registered party can have the party affiliation shown
on the ballot, and registered parties are entitled to an allotment of paid and free
broadcasting time during general elections. There are also financial advantages to
registration. For example, registered parties are eligible for reimbursement of a
percentage of their election expenses, according to a formula set out in the legislation, and
donations to the party are tax-deductible to a set maximum. 152
The result of this process in Canada has been an increase in the number of registered political
parties from four in 1972 to ten in 1997 and an increase in the number of candidates registering
for federal elections from 632 to 672. 153
Eligibility Requirements
In order to register as a party, most electoral systems have established minimum eligibility
requirements. These are usually based on having a certain number of registered voters as
members or dues paying members. Problems can arise if this number is set too high or too low.
If it is set too high, it can exclude smaller or newer parties from the process. If the number is set
too low, it enables frivolous or unviable parties to register.
In New Zealand, for instance, the number of dues paying members for registration has been set at 500:
In general terms, the Commission will wish to be satisfied that the applicant represents a
group of persons organized to acquire and exercise political influence through the election
of members of the party to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The Commission
will also wish to be satisfied that the party has a category of membership through which
individual persons pay a membership fee (distinct from a donation) which entitles them to
be a member of the party for a specified and appropriate period.154
As part of the application process, parties must submit the names of its members to prove it meets
the basic requirements. A sample of the list is usually checked to ensure that the voters exist, and
are dues paying members. Integrity problems can arise in countries in transition or coming out of
a conflict, where identifying political party supporters, especially those from opposition parties,
can raise security concerns. (See Privacy Concerns below).
Most registration procedures also have restrictions on the party names that can be registered.
These can be for practical reasons, such as with New Zealand, that limits the name to 52
characters including punctuation and spaces, so that it fits onto the ballot, and refuses
names or abbreviations that are likely to cause confusion or mislead voters. 155
Registration applications are usually only accepted during a given period of time, and applications
are not accepted after the closing date. The period of time needs to be long enough so that the
parties can complete and submit their application. Some registration rules may require a deposit
which, depending on the system, is returned to the party if it receives a certain percentage of the
vote. This deposit is to ensure that the parties are serious, but if it is set at too high a level, it could discourage the smaller or less affluent parties from participating.
Privacy concerns of political party members
When parties are required to have a minimum number of members and must provide a list of the
names of these members to register, it can raise several integrity issues. One is the right to privacy
for the political party members. In polarized societies, or in countries coming out of a history of
internal conflict, political party members may be afraid of being publicly identified with a
particular party for security reasons. In other places, individuals may also not want to be publicly
identified with a party for employment, social or other reasons.
In the case of New Zealand,
privacy issues are taken seriously by the Election Commission. Despite
the need to collect information in order to verify membership .... a party may request the
Commission to keep membership information confidential by including a statement such as
the following in a covering letter accompanying the information:
'This information concerning current financial members of the (name of party) is provided
to the Electoral Commission for the purpose of regulation of the (name of party) under
Part IV of the Electoral Act of 1992. I request that this information remain confidential to
the Electoral Commission and not be disclosed to any other person.'
Each party should be aware that the Electoral Commission may be asked under the
Official Information Act to release the list of members or the declarations a party has
provided to the Electoral Commission for the purposes of registration. The Commission
would have to consider each request in the circumstances, taking into account the
provisions of the Official Information Act and the Privacy Act. In general, the
Commission would not release a list or the declarations unless it was satisfied that it was
necessary in the public interest, based on its responsibility to ensure the integrity of the
registration process. Parties should be aware, however, that a refusal to release a list or
the declarations can be appealed to the Ombudsman.156
Categorizing Political Parties
Some electoral systems categorize political parties when they register or later when they apply
for Public Funding of Campaigns. They can
be categorized according to membership size, election success or geographical coverage. For
integrity purposes, there should be a valid reason for the categorization, such as
dividing free airtime or public funds for election campaigns among the competing parties.
In India, for instance, the Election Commission categorizes parties as 'National' or 'State' and 'registered' or
'unrecognized', based on their length of political activity and the party's success in
elections.
How a party is classified determines a party's right to certain privileges, such as access to
electoral rolls and provisions of time for political broadcasts on the state-owned television
and radio stations. . and also the important question of the allocation of the party symbol.
Party symbols enable illiterate voters to identify the candidate of the party they wish to
vote for. National parties are given a symbol that is for their use only throughout the
country. State parties have the sole use of a symbol in the state in which they are
recognized as such. Registered unrecognized parties can choose a symbol from a
selection of 'free' symbols.157
Registration of political party logos
Electoral authorities may also register a party logo that is printed on the ballot papers in some
countries. There are also requirements for registering logos, which usually include submitting the application
before the deadline, meeting certain formatting requirements such as black and white or colour
logos or a certain size.
Logos are important in countries with a low literacy rate, as they enable voters to identify their
candidate or party based on the logo. Being able to register the symbol which best represents
the party is an important integrity issue. Election authorities have discretion in rejecting logos
that they consider offensive or that might confuse the voters.
To ensure integrity, the standards for
logos are usually included in the registration guidelines. They are standard to avoid a subjective review and are not designed to
discriminate against a particular party. As with party registration, rejections of logos are usually made in writing with the reasons
for the rejection clearly stated, along with the procedures on how to file an appeal.
