Although a variety of procedures are employed in completing voter registration projects,
there are a number of issues and concerns that must be addressed, whichever method of
registration is used:
- which list to use--the periodic list, the continuous list or the civil registry
- administrative framework
- logistical planning
- registration data collection
- procurement
- operational infrastructure
- voter education
- worker selection and training
- implementation of a plan of action.
- compiling registration data
- storing registration data
- production of a preliminary voters list
- promotion strategies
- changes to the preliminary voters list
- adjudicating challenges to the preliminary voters list
- production of a final voters list
- distribution of final voters lists
- processing list revisions for early voters
In continuous lists and civil registries, a number of the above issues are subscribed within
the broad context of maintaining the voters list.
Managing Complexity in Voter Registration
The potential scope and complexity of voter registration and election administration indicates
how important it is to ensure that an appropriate administrative framework is in place. This is
especially true in view of the critical role played by the voter registration process in conferring
legitimacy on the outcome of the election.
Computerization and Registration
Since so much of the work of election administration entails gathering, storing, validating and
updating data on the identity of voters, election officials in many countries have begun to rely on
the computerization of many of these processes. The case for doing this is obvious and often
compelling. Computers offer election officials the capacity for secure storage of large amounts
of data, processing and sorting the data in a variety of ways, and in particular altering
such features as electoral boundaries by reference to computerized files on voter populations.
Computerization a Recent Trend
In some cases, however, the social, economic or political environment may make the use of
computerization more difficult or even impossible. This should not, however, pose an
insurmountable barrier to conducting registration initiatives that perform well on criteria of
completeness, currency and accuracy. Although the computerization of registration has become
increasingly common in democracies with a high level of economic development today, this is a
relatively new development. Most of this development has taken place just over the past
generation, and especially over the last decade. Prior to the 1980s and 1990s, for example,
computers were far less efficient, effective or affordable as tools for registration. Where
available and practical, then, election administration officials are now finding that computers
can make various aspects of the registration process more efficient and cost effective.
In fact, election administrators today find themselves facing mounting pressures to 'modernize'
the registration process, which often leads them to adopt computerized systems. The urge to
computerize is often driven by rising expectations about the speed with which registration may
take place and the need to sort voters lists in a variety of ways (e.g., by geographical units such
as polling stations).
High Costs of Computerized Registration
It is important, though, to have a realistic appreciation of the costs involved in developing and
maintaining computerized registration files. These costs relate not only to the development and
installation of the computer hardware and software, but also the continuous need to service and
upgrade the system, including the need to have skilled and highly-trained personnel to operate
the system. The computerization of voter registration files should be evaluated on both a cost
and efficiency basis, with a realistic appraisal of the capacity to sustain the system into the
future.
Contradictory Concerns About Computerization
Election authorities involved in the development of computerized voter registers should
anticipate a variety of concerns and/or misunderstandings regarding the capabilities and use of
computers. When computerization of the register was discussed in the Ivory Coast, West Africa,
for example, numerous concerns were expressed that the computer could reveal a voter's
political affiliation or ethnic group membership.27 In Brazil, the fear was that the
election results could be manipulated easily by election authorities or the government because
of computerization.28 On the other hand, a number of Ivorians held the belief that the
computer was capable of correcting errors in data entry, or could correct falsified or poorly
completed records.29 And the experience of election authorities in Brazil was that
introducing the changes through a well-publicized pilot project can go a long way in correcting
misconceptions.30
Partisanship and Fraudulent Practices
One of the major impediments to the development of a full and complete voter register in
Tunisia is the impact of partisanship on registration. It is widely believed that if one is a known
opponent of the present administration, local election authorities will effectively block the
inclusion of the voter's name on the register. In 1994, an IFES pre-election assessment team
recommended the adoption of a continuous voter list coupled with greater centralization of the
registration process to address these deficiencies.31
