Registration at Advance Polls
Advance polling is a common feature of democratic electoral systems since it provides an
opportunity to vote for electors who otherwise are eligible but are unable to attend the polls on
election day. There are two registration occasions where advance polling is used. The first
occurs when the voter is not already registered. A decision must be made as to whether they can
register and vote at the advance polling station. Note should be taken that this is not an
administrative decision, but rather one normally made by political authorities and included in
election statutes. One would expect that the same rules would apply here as at the regular
polling station during the general election. The person in charge of the advance polling station,
the presiding officer or equivalent, would have the authority to add the elector to the voters list.
The electoral legislation may also prescribe what form of ballot and, if applicable, ballot
envelope would be issued to these registrants.
Revised List of Electors
The second situation is where advance polling is used and there is a need to provide an updated
list of electors to the regular polling station. In this updated final voters list, the names of those
who voted in the advance polls are struck off the list of voters that goes to the polls on election
day. Even when done manually, this is the standard procedure. This will ensure that those who
voted at the advance polls do not vote at the regular poll as well.
