The applicable electoral legislation will set down how the voter register is to be used in the voting process. In most cases, the voter register will be used in polling places and EMB offices to determine the right of people to vote. This requirement dictates that the voter register must be capable of being used in a form suitable for polling purposes. This could be a printed hardcopy list formatted in a logical order (so that names can be found easily), or an electronic list accessed on computer. In either case there is a need to electronically capture and manipulate voter register data.
The requirement to record the fact that a registered voter has voted also impacts on how the voter register data is used. Where there is a need to compile master lists of voters (particularly for the purpose of determining instances of multiple voting or, in compulsory voting systems, instances of failure to vote), electronically capturing and manipulating the data is necessary.
