Central and Local Staff
The effective management of a periodic list voter registration campaign requires staffing and
training both at the headquarters level and in local offices. The headquarters staff are often
more permanent, long-term employees. Their conditions of employment may be established by
government public service guidelines. Alternatively, these same functions may be the
responsibility of an 'electoral commission' that is formally independent of direct ministerial or
governmental control.
At the local level, hiring and training registration staff is probably the most important mission of
local administrative officers prior to an enumeration, establishment of registration centres or the
initiation of registration by mail. Most of these employees will be engaged for a short period of
time. And many of these positions can be filled by citizens who are not necessarily highly
skilled. The caliber of local staff for the registration campaign, however, will likely be an early
reflection of the success or integrity of the election itself.
Field office staff, for example, will have very specific responsibilities during the brief
registration period. It would not only be inefficient to have to repeat any steps of the registration
process but it may also appear politically suspect as well.
Enumerators and other local office staff at registration centres are usually the only officials of
the election administration which most voters meet. They provide the public face of the entire
election administration organization.
By the same token, local office staff, enumerators and registration clerks at registration offices,
may be abused if they are not properly prepared. Individuals involved in fraudulent electoral
practices, for example, may attempt to circumvent the registration procedures on an unwitting
registration official. Local officials need to have sufficient background information to answer
commonly asked questions, therefore, and know when and how to defer questions to their
supervisors when they do not know the answers.
Types of Workers
The specific types of workers required to complete the registration will depend on the method of
data collection. Enumerations use somewhat different frameworks compared to registration
centres. In some countries, the political parties or candidates may provide names of potential
enumerators. In such cases, they may work in bipartisan teams or in another appropriate manner
to ensure impartiality in performing their duties. When registration by mail is used, registration
workers may function in a more anonymous atmosphere.
There are, however, some common staffing requirements for each. At the head of the local
organization will be a registration official, whatever the official title may be, who has overall
responsibility for the successful completion of the registration in that district. This registration
official may be assisted by an assistant registration official, deputy registrar or assistant office
manager. There are three separate functions below the registrar, or lead registration official, and
these may have different organizational teams. They are:
- enumeration
- list production (including data processing)
- list revision
The Ghanaian Experience
With respect to the roles and responsibilities of voter registration officials, the Ghanaian
experience provides an interesting case. The procedure manual in Ghana (see Electoral Commission of Ghana - Voter Registration Official's Manual),
provides a description of the organization of registration centres and the responsibilities of the
key personnel. Directly below the Electoral Commission is the regional director, who has
overall responsibility for organizing and coordinating the registration drive in the region. The
district electoral officer works under the regional directors and coordinates all activity in the
district, including providing materials to the registration centres. The regional offices also
employ registration supervisors who work with the district office in coordinating the activities of
the centres.
At the local level of each registration centre, there is a registration officer who oversees the
centre, completes registration forms for applicants and engages in other registration activities,
such a taking thumb prints of applicants. In addition, within the local office are a registration
assistant for shading (i.e., completing registration documents) who assists in processing
applications, and a registration assistant for lamination, who aids in the production of the voter
registration card. A job description for each is in Electoral Commission of Ghana - Voter Registration Official's Manual.
Hiring
One of the key responsibilities of the local election authority is the hiring of all local staff.
Some of this responsibility may be delegated to other staff members. Traditionally, hiring of
staff for local elections offices varies from one setting to another. In some instances, for
example, enumerators are selected from among lists submitted by the party offices. In other
cases, this would be viewed as overly partisan. Critical to the process is that voters must have
trust that the system of registration is fair and impartial. If the selection of workers through a list
of names submitted by parties is viewed as an illegitimate means of selection, then it should be
avoided. In any event, workers must clearly understand that their work as an election official is
a nonpartisan activity. It is often useful to provide the registrar with a list of the employment
offices in his or her area in anticipation of the need to hire a number of employees to complete
the registration.
Training
The central administration office can do much to facilitate the training of all staff by providing
training manuals and organizing training sessions. The actual responsibilities of all employees
should be clearly outlined. And the manner of implementing these responsibilities should be
reviewed and discussed. The training session provides an excellent opportunity to remind staff
of their importance to the overall integrity of the election.
Remuneration
The local election authority will be responsible for ensuring that all employees are properly paid
for their activities, according to a scale that is fair and standardized for all employees. The
remuneration protocol should set out the rate of pay for each position as well as expectations
regarding hours of work and completion of tasks. It should be clear if the remuneration is based
on performance or simply on an hourly rate. A performance-based system, for example, might
provide enumerators with a certain payment for each completed registration form, possibly in
addition to a set hourly rate or a prescribed fee. This latter procedure may be an attempt to
increase the quality of work provided by employees, since one may wish to make it more in their
interest to complete the registration of all voters in their division or administrative unit. Care
must be taken, however, to ensure that enumerators act honestly and do not add names
fraudulently in order to be paid a higher fee.
Travel Expenses
Some voter registration initiatives may require a certain amount of travel by the employees, or
voluntary workers, either through door-to-door visits outside of their immediate neighbourhoods,
or through the establishment of registration centres that require travel. When mobile registration
centres are used, this may become even more relevant. When travel is required as a condition
of employment, one expects that a system of reimbursement for the costs of travel be included in
the overall remuneration package. Usually this would include a standard charge per kilometer of
work-related travel, a standard amount of funds that can be used for accommodations, as well as
a per diem allowance for food and miscellaneous expenses. These limits and standards will help
ensure that funds are spent responsibly and in a manner consistent with the overall policies of
the election administration office.
Honesty and Integrity
The election administration field staff plays an essential role in the legitimacy of a voter
registration system as well as the election itself. They must be reminded of the importance of
honesty and integrity in their activities as election officials, not to mention the consequences of
engaging in dishonest or illegal practices. All employees and volunteers may be required to take
an oath or affirmation of service which attests to their agreement to be bound by lawful and
ethical conditions and standards.
