Preliminary List Not Necessary with Civil Registry
A preliminary list is the one that is created from an election period enumeration (in the case of the
periodic list) or from the continuous list at the start of an election period. This list is then updated
with revisions, and a revised list, or final voters list, is prepared for the election.
In contrast, if the civil registry has been properly created and maintained, there is no need for a
preliminary list. The goal of a civil registry is that inclusion on the list is mandatory, and the
information on the list can be used for a variety of purposes, one of which may be for electoral
purposes. Typically there are requirements to provide initial registration information at the time of
birth or naturalisation, and then to provide continual updates when information changes (for
example, changes in name, address, marital status, etc.). The list, then, is continually updated and
current.
Continuous updating of the population register requires a well-developed registration infrastructure
and a significant effort to monitor and record changes. It also can require well-developed
procedures for sharing information across departments or agencies of government, and thus a
common identification number
The magnitude and range of ongoing maintenance of the civil register is well illustrated by the
Swedish case. The Swedish population register issues approximately 2.2 million register extracts
and processes approximately 2.4 million cases annually. These cases are broken down as
follows:
- name change: 210,000 cases
- birth: 128,000 cases
- marriage: 41,000 cases
- divorce: 32,000 cases
- migration (change residence): 925,000 cases
- death: 90,000 cases
- total: 2.4 million cases98
On the basis of these cases, the system records approximately 3.5 million changes in the register
annually, after which the Swedish Population and Address Register (SPAR) issues approximately
200 million reports of these changes to the users of the information.99
Thus, maintenance of the register is significant and ongoing. Consequently, there is no need to
provide a preliminary voters list in such a system. The information is used for many purposes, of
which voter registration is just one.
