Maintaining the Integrity of the Civil Registration System
An up-to-date civil register that performs well on the three performance indicators of
completeness, currency, and accuracy plays an important role in providing legitimacy to
democratic elections. A well-documented civil registration process, with open and transparent
procedures, helps to ensure that the system meets its requirements for legitimacy, and thereby
contributes to rather than detracts from the integrity of the election.
Tracking Information Changes
The purpose of an audit trail is to identify errors in the civil registry information, to explain
inconsistencies in the information, and to properly manage the information. The key in ensuring
ability to audit the civil register is providing information that was used to update each record. The
following questions illustrate the types of information needed in keeping records on changes of
address.
- Did the request for change come from the individual, or from another source, such as the
records of the public health department?
- What was the name of the clerk who put the change of information into the system?
- Where and when was this done?
Such information provides an ability to resolve differences in information across various registers
or databases. One guideline is to use the information entered most recently as the best indication
of the current information. A second guideline is to contact the citizen to help resolve conflicts
when information is inconsistent across databases.
In addition, it is desirable to establish a mechanism that requires citizens to confirm the accuracy of
information on record, and to correct it where appropriate. One way to do this is to provide
citizen identity cards that expire after a certain period of time. At the time of expiration, the citizen
is required to attend a registration office or centre to apply for a new registration card, and at that
time to update all personal information in the civil registry. This provides an opportunity to get a
new photograph that can be used on the identification card and also can be kept on file as part of
the civil register.
There are critical time points at which the citizen is required to update the information in the civil
registry. In Argentina, individuals are registered within one month of birth and are given a civil
registration number. When they enter the school system at seven or eight years of age, their civil
registration is renewed. In addition, upon reaching sixteen years of age, they again must renew
their registration, and at this time are issued civil identification cards.
Alternatively, citizens' records can include the date on which voters had their most recent contact
with a government department or agency. This information can then be used as a flag to identify
those who have no contact for a certain period of time. It can be department procedure that
individuals who do not have contact with a government department for a certain period of time are
contacted to confirm the accuracy of the information stored on them.
Oversee Data from Various Departments and Agencies
Audit trail maintenance for the civil register applies to overseeing the collection of data from other
departments and agencies. A potential drawback of civil registries is that the election authority
may not be responsible for collecting the data used for voter registration purposes, and therefore
may rely on other departments and agencies to provide high-quality and reliable information. One
way to ensure an oversight function in this regard is to provide the election authority with direct
auditing oversight for the agencies or departments collecting the data. Argentina provides an
example of this type of oversight, by placing the election authority under judicial authority, and by
ensuring that the election authorities have oversight powers within the civil registration
organisation.
