Materials Intensive
Voter registration, particularly using the periodic list method, tends to be a materials intensive
activity. A large amount of information must be gathered in a short period of time, and a
large volume of materials is required to accomplish this. Typically, these materials include such
things as office furnishings (e.g., desks, chairs, telephones, photocopiers, facsimile machines
and computers), registration materials (e.g., forms, voter identification cards, mail-in registration
forms, identification badges, and stationery), and training materials (e.g., training manuals,
overhead projectors and slides, videos and other instructional aids). Furthermore, much of this
material may have to be transported in a short period of time from one end of the country to the
other.
In addition, there is usually a need to rent or lease space for a relatively short term, to fully equip
this space for registration, and then to dismantle the office at the end of the registration period.
Usually this will present significant risk for spending inefficiencies and cost overruns. To
control this process, clear policies on procurement are required, preferably with limits placed on
spending categories and for each electoral district or region.
This said, however, it is important to be aware that the materials used for voter registration
exercises also will depend on the realities of the local environment. The use of overhead
projectors and fax machines, for example, depends on the ready availability of electricity and
telephone lines. In cases where access to such electronic equipment is not possible, a greater
reliance on printed materials will be likely.
Organizational Structure
In most national settings, a centralized election administration framework is responsible for the
overall integrity of the electoral system, including voter registration. This central authority
typically has responsibility for designing the voter registration system following legal mandates
and for developing appropriate support elements, such as training manuals, policies and
guidelines, and official forms. During the registration period in those settings that use the
periodic list, however, the election administration usually expands dramatically to include large,
decentralized local administrations. These local organizations bear the responsibility for
actually gathering the registration data and putting it in a form that will facilitate the
development of the preliminary and final voters lists. At the local level, however, election
administration employees are active, almost without exception, for very brief periods of time. In
addition, they are often drawn from a pool of employees that are not trained in election
administration.
Procurement Policies
Many of the purchases for election administration are made by the central or regional
registration authority on the basis of cost savings associated with large volume purchases.
Services such as short-term office space, furniture rental and communications equipment are
often procured at the local level within tight spending guidelines. Clearly-drawn procurement
policies will facilitate the smooth operation of the local electoral organization. Such policies
and procedures, however, may also be governed by the standards accepted for other procurement
needs of a jurisdiction.
In general, procurement policies will be unique to each situation and will be affected both by the
legislative environment for voter registration and by procurement policies in other governmental
activities.
Importance of Security
The movement of a large volume of materials in a short period of time to many sites is a
distinguishing feature of periodic list registration. This usually raises concerns of security for
these materials, not only in transportation but also in storage. Adopting appropriate security
measures, therefore, is crucial to the success of the registration process. Reports of lost forms or
stolen voter identification cards, for example, can undermine public confidence in the integrity
of the registration process and thereby compromise the legitimacy of the election. The loss of
voter registration cards, however, is not integral to the process for the periodic list as they are
less likely to be issued when using this type of voter registration. Formal voter registration cards
are generally used when a continuous register is in place.
