The Legal Framework
The legal framework governing the electoral process usually provides the guidelines for
voter registration. The legal provisions may be found in the constitution, electoral law or
legislation enacted specifically for voter registration. Such provisions are normally established
before the registration begins, of course, and public involvement in their development is
desirable. Through the use of voter education programmes, the electorate learns how they may
become eligible to vote. Likewise, they will learn through voter education why they might not
be deemed eligible or be disqualified.
Other regulations governing the process reflect the legal provisions and might establish in
advance certain guidelines within which the process would be administered. These would
include advance notification of the dates, hours and locations for enumeration or registration and
the personnel or officials who are to be involved in the registration campaign.
The Administrative Framework: Two Organizational Levels
Two important organizational units play crucial roles in the administrative framework for the
design and implementation of effective voter registration procedures. The first of these is the
central election authority, which can be at the national level or a combination of both national
and regional or local administrative units. The latter is particularly applicable to federal forms
of government. Normally, this level of election administration is either the on-going department
or administrative unit of government or an electoral commission which is formally independent
of government control but nonetheless charged with overall responsibility for electoral events.
The central election authority plays a key role in designing the voter registration system,
including forms, computer hardware and software operations and policies and procedures. It
also plays a pivotal role in designing training manuals and overseeing the professional
application of all elements of the voter registration system. When administration is organized
through an electoral commission, the commission is responsible for an oversight function to
ensure the process is applied in a standardized, uniform and impartial manner.
The second organisational unit is local. Since the activities of a voter registration process may
be highly decentralized, it is necessary to have a well-developed administrative structure at the
local level to respond to local issues. At this level, however, almost all of the activities of the
voter registration process are usually conducted by personnel who have a short-term association
with the election administration organisation. Typically, many will have little or no previous
experience with election administration or voter registration. There is then a need for good
supervisory personnel to oversee implementation of the system at the local level, as well as
proven protocols to support the process. In some jurisdictions, however, local personnel may be
permanent employees of the government or administration who have been assigned for this
purpose.
In addition to the central and local levels, a regional level of operations is often responsible for
ensuring that implementation at the local level is standardized and for coordinating the
information communicated to the central election authority.
Importance of Early Planning
In order for the electoral or registration authority to carry out its responsibilities effectively, it
will need sufficient resources. These include not only material and human resources but
financial resources as well. The budget is established in advance at appropriate senior
management levels, and, ideally, it is not subject to political interference. The officials
responsible for the process, likewise, will also be perceived as professional and competent. If
not, the legitimacy of the entire voter registration process may be compromised.
Elements of the administrative framework that are essential for efficient functioning of the voter
registration system include the following categories:
- personnel management
- office infrastructure
- materials and procurement
Personnel Management
Personnel involved with the process must be well trained and known to be honest and impartial.
It is also essential that they are perceived to be free of political motivation or influence as they
carry out their duties. If professional civil servants or government employees are used as
registration officials, it must be determined if they could play a role in intimidating electors or
have been known to do so in the past.
At the regional level, a registration official normally is designated to serve as the key contact
between the central election administration and the local organization. This official has overall
responsibilities for the successful implementation of the voter registration at the local level. A
variety of different titles may be used to identify this official in different countries and
jurisdictions. For consistency, we shall refer to this position as the 'regional registration
director'. What is important is the responsibility this position carries, rather than the title he or
she possesses. This individual normally is responsible for the overall implementation of the
voter registration initiative in the territory under his or her jurisdiction. A variety of personnel
work under the supervision of the regional registration director, either directly or indirectly, who
have important functional responsibilities.
The following functional responsibilities are typically required in a periodic voter registration
procedure:
- The revision assistant, assistant revising officer or enrolment supervisor; works directly
with the regional registration director in overseeing the registration system, and has delegated
authority to act on behalf of the regional registration director in a number of situations.
- An enumeration supervisor may exist where door-to-door enumeration is used. This
position is charged with training and overseeing the work of the enumerators or registration
clerks. If the jurisdiction is small, the regional registration director may be able to oversee the
process at the local level. In planning this implementation process, it is useful to economize
positions and administrative layers where possible, provided of course that such economy does
not sacrifice effectiveness.
- The enumerator or registration centre officer is responsible for getting information
directly from the voter, or from an approved responsible source.
- The computer specialist's role depends upon the level of computerization used in the
registration system. In those instances in which significant parts of the voter registration
procedure are computerized, this position will be important to the registration process. In
jurisdictions that do not computerize the registration process, of course, this position would not
be required.
- Data entry operators or recorders take the raw data from the enumerator's or registration
officer's records, and keys the data into a databank designed specifically for the production of
the voters list. In the absence of computers, a recorder organizes the data into a filing
system.
Office Furnishings
Normally it is the responsibility of the regional registration director to oversee the installation of
equipment and furnishings for all offices used in the local registration, security for this
equipment and furnishings, and the closing of the office at the end of the registration process.
Clear guidelines from the central election authority regarding procedures and protocols, of
course, are extremely useful in this effort. In some countries, it may be necessary to adapt the
registration process to whatever facilities are available. It may not be possible, for example, to
have fully-equipped offices throughout the country or in some locations due to costs, geography
or lack of available equipment. Officials may have to adapt their procedures and methods to
whatever facilities are actually available to them.
Registration Material
Most, if not all, of the actual registration materials are normally produced by the central election
administration and shipped directly to the local offices for their use. Among key issues that arise
from the distribution of registration materials are the integrity of the transportation and storage
facilities as well as the accuracy of the forms and documents. Again, clear protocols for these
issues can be set well in advance of the registration period.
It is worth recalling that all of the registration in the periodic list system takes place in a
relatively short time frame, often with an election looming. A poorly-administered registration
exercise can cast doubt on the entire democratic process. Since many elements of the
administrative framework can be established well in advance of the actual registration period, it
is highly advisable to spend the time and resources early, when the pressure to perform under
tight deadlines is less intense than it is bound to become as the date for the election approaches.
It is also worth noting that many election administrations are not allowed access to the planning
budgets they need. Controls on spending tend to be greatly relaxed during the election period
itself, as the whole process may be characterized as crisis management. Some of the 'crisis'
pressures of registration management, however, can be alleviated with appropriate budgetary
allocations in the period between elections. In fact, substantial efficiencies and savings can be
realized through carefully planned spending between elections. In a word, crisis management
tends to be expensive.
