The Uses of the Voters List
The primary purpose of the electoral register, or voters list, is to confirm the eligibility of voters
to participate in national or local elections. There are a number of other elections, however, that
may take place in a democratic political system for which the voters list may also be
relevant and useful. An example of one such election is a partial election. A partial election is
often a special election held to fill seats in the legislative assembly unexpectedly vacated
through censure, death or resignation. In such an instance, the voters list is simply a more
localized version of the national register, subject to the same conditions of universality and
inclusiveness.
Likewise, the voters list may be employed for referendums and plebiscites, as a
comprehensive listing of eligible voters corresponding to the local or national base of the
referendum or plebiscite. Voters lists are also used for initiative and recall petitions, and are
provided (often free of charge) to parties and candidates for campaign efforts. They can also be
used to create jury lists, for example, or to help track down 'deadbeat dads' and defaulters on
student loans. The uses of a voters list, therefore, may often extend well beyond a strictly
electoral function.
Industrial Elections, Petitions, Initiatives and Recall
Another application of the voters list is for industrial elections. The Australian Electoral
Commission, for instance, is responsible for conducting elections involving trade unions and
employer associations. In 1992 and 1993 over seven hundred such elections were held in
Australia. In the United States, the voters list is used when candidates must qualify for the ballot
through petitions. In many democracies, candidates are nominated for election based on the
signatures of a designated number of registered voters from the constituency in which the
candidate is seeking election. In addition, the voters list can be used to verify petition signatures
in countries where citizens may initiate legislation. And voters lists can be used to verify
legitimate ballots for the recall of elected officials.
In federal political systems, a case can be made for sharing the voters list across different
levels of government, even where the elections are not held conterminously. The redundancy
involved in producing separate voter registers for federal, state (provincial) and local elections
often defies reasonable practice.
Party Elections
Elections for other positions, such as leader of a political party or a candidate nominated by a
local party organization to contest an election, also require some form of voter registration. In
many instances this responsibility is administered by the party itself, using lists of party
members and, in some instances, of affiliated unions. The British Labour Party maintains such
lists. In other instances, the registration of voters may include information about an individual's
chosen party affiliation to enable voters to participate in the party primaries. This practice is
customary in the United States of America.
