Maintaining the Integrity of the Voter Registration System
A list of voters that is current, comprehensive and accurate (the three performance measures
discussed previously) plays an important role in providing legitimacy to democratic elections. A
well-documented voter registration process, with open and transparent procedures, will help
ensure that the system meets its requirements for legitimacy, and thereby contributes to, rather
than detracts from, the integrity of the election.
A Complete File System
For each voter on the periodic list, there should be on file with the election authorities a copy of
the voter registration form, as well as any and all ancillary material used to evaluate or
adjudicate the voters' eligibility. The maintenance of this information for a designated period of
time (six months after the election may be reasonable), and certainly until the deadline for all
appeals of the election results have elapsed, is both a useful and necessary precaution.
Registration officials face a monumental task of effectively organizing and maintaining all the
registration records compiled. Creating a voters list from this material is one significant task;
organizing the source documents is another, and at least as significant, task. Although both of
these tasks are important, it is more likely the source documents will be needed to resolve
disputes.
