Adequate and Sufficient Proof of Registration
There is considerable variation in what is taken to be adequate and sufficient proof that
individuals have registered to vote, and are who they say they are. In settings in which a civil
registry exists, and in which all citizens are issued civil registry identification cards, the card is
likely to be the required proof of identification.
Where no civil registry exists, but in contexts in which it is the norm for citizens to carry
personal
identification, a registration card may be issued, which could be used either on its own, or
optionally with the voter's other personal identification cards, such as a driver's licence. In
contexts where a significant percentage of citizens do not carry personal identification, it is often
necessary to issue voter registration cards. In such contexts, the registration of voters and the
issuing of identification cards, particularly photo identification cards, becomes one of the central
and often most costly parts of the election process.
Confidence in Identifying Voters
Election officials need a high degree of confidence that voters are who they purport to be, that
they are eligible to vote, and that they have not voted elsewhere or previously in this election.
Requiring that voters vote at one and only one preassigned voting station can ease the complexity
of this situation. For example, officials can strike the voter's name from the list of eligible voters
after he or she has voted, or can require voters to dip a finger in indelible ink, among other
techniques. But, limiting voting to certain stations in this way is not always desirable. This is
particularly the case if the country does not use a constituency-based electoral system and/or
where
there is a high degree of geographic mobility among the electorate. In the latter instances, it may
be necessary to absorb the expenses associated with producing voter identification cards.
