Managing Registration Materials
Periodic list registration requires the management of a large volume of records. While
computerization offers an efficient means to manage this large volume of information, it may
not always be practical or possible. Whether computerized or not, two key issues arise in
managing registration materials. The first is the storage of the registration forms, since they are
critical legal documents that must be properly filed and secured. Ultimately they are the only
proof of duplicate registration and are critical in cases of duplicate voting prosecution.
Second, there is the need to transfer information from the registration forms to the voters list,
which may involve the creation of an additional voters list database. Alternatively, where
computerization is not in place, manual development of the voters list should proceed
expeditiously, following the collection of data. This usually means that the preliminary voters
list is in preparation before all the data has been gathered.
Another key issue in managing registration materials is how the data collection is managed. The
basic requirement is to use a geographic framework, and the smaller the units the better.
Managing all the registrations in an electoral district of 40,000 voters is difficult if it is one
single file. Managing 100 administrative units of 400 voters each is considerably easier. Those
who have tried to sort 40,000 of anything will have an intuitive appreciation of this issue.
Short-Term Storage Required
Whether or not computerization is used, there will be a need for short-term storage of the voters'
registration forms while the voters list is being developed, verified and finalized. Many
countries require that the original voter registration forms be retained by the electoral authority.
If enumerators are used, they will be responsible for the forms in their geographic areas. They
compile the list for the area or names which have been assigned to them. After they have
prepared their lists, other registration officials usually compile the master list for the region. In
many jurisdictions there may be no national list. In a system based on single member districts,
the list may be maintained at the local level.
The voter registration forms are often used to verify signatures on nomination forms and
initiative and referendum petitions. The latter, however, is more commonly associated with a
continuous register than a periodic list. Arrangements will need to be made for the secure
storage of the registration cards, as well as for the blank forms.
Data Transfer
Data will also have to be sent from the local data collection points (the registration centres or the
local registration offices where enumeration is used) to the central election authority for the
development of the national voters list. With a centralized computer database, the transmission
would be done via transaction processing with high levels of integrity checking to ensure each
record was sent and received in a complete manner. Where computers are not used, the typed or
handwritten list of electors may be transmitted. Policies concerning such matters as delivery to
where, by what method, and in how many copies need to be developed for each situation.
Computerization
Where there is a national voters list, the transfer of data from the local site to the national
election authority may be accomplished in a highly efficient manner through computerization.
In other contexts, however, the list may only relate to a specific geographic area, such as an
electoral district. Where there is representative democracy, electors may vote only in the
specific geographic area of their residence. The list could be maintained even at the polling
division level. A system of proportional representation, where voting takes place without regard
to territorial limitations, may require the centralization of information. In Canadian provinces,
the periodic list is maintained only at the level of the electoral district.
Computer software can be developed for the collection of large amounts of voter registration
data, as well as for the production of lists of electors which make this potentially laborious and
highly detailed procedure fully automated. Voter registration software invariably is custom
designed to local specifications at considerable expense.
