A voter register database should be capable of producing a range of statistical collations of data. This information could be used for a wide range of purposes, including performance management and statutory reporting. Statistical collations are usually produced as reports, which can be printed or made available on-line.
Some examples of statistical reports that could be produced by a voter register include:
- Total numbers of voters in the whole jurisdiction, with subtotals for other geographic areas, such as states, electoral districts and sub districts
- Total numbers of voters in various voter categories
- Total number of transactions processed in the database, such as additions, deletions, alterations, transfers into electoral districts, transfers out of electoral districts and transfers within electoral districts
- Total numbers of voters registered for small geographic areas such as census tracts for redistricting purposes (see Using Technology for Boundary Delimitation)
- Summaries of data from the geographic base, such as types of dwellings, numbers of voters registered at dwellings and numbers of dwellings with no voters registered
Production of some reports can be a considerable load on a database system, particularly where calculations on large data files are undertaken. Such system overload can be prevented or minimised by running complex reports as overnight 'batch' requests, that run during system 'down times' to avoid overloading the system during peak usage times. Another method is to run routine report requests on a regular basis, often as overnight batch requests, and make those available to users, rather than make on-line requests an option.
Where system resources permit, however, it may be desirable to allow users to have on-line access to reports on demand. This empowers users to receive the specific data they want, when they want it, and can be useful in circumstances where up-to-date information is needed quickly (such as during an election period). On-line access to reports can include user-specified variables, such as start dates and finish dates, that allow users to extract customised data.
