Voluntary Registration
This form of registration is predicated on the principle that voting is a right of citizenship and
that
voters may choose to register or not to register for an election.
An implication of voluntary registration is that some voters will choose not to register, thereby
effectively depriving themselves of the right to vote. If there is a random distribution to the
likelihood of registering to vote that is, if all types of citizens (e.g., men and women, young and
old, urban and rural, rich and poor, well educated and poorly educated, etc.) register in equal
proportions then one might conclude that voluntary registration has no impact on the outcome of
the election or the selection of representatives and governments.
Across a wide range of democracies, however, there are a number of patterns with respect to who
chooses to register, and who does not. For example, men are more likely than women to choose
to participate, although these differences have been declining in many countries over the past
generation. Young people are considerably less likely to register and to vote than their middle-
aged and older counterparts. Urban voters typically register in higher proportions than residents
of
rural areas, rich more than poor, and the more highly educated at rates higher than the poorly
educated.
If those who participate at higher rates have values, attitudes, and political preferences that differ
from those less likely to participate, then participation, and voluntary voter registration, has an
effect on an electoral outcome by favouring those with higher rates of registration and
participation. Thus, when the population that registers to vote is systematically biased or
unrepresentative of the population as a whole, the election outcome can suffer from a lack of
legitimacy.
Mandatory Registration
This type of registration is based on the principle that voting in a democracy is a responsibility of
citizenship, not simply a right of citizenship. Not registering and voting is viewed as an
abrogation
of one's responsibilities.
A system of mandatory or near-mandatory registration can exist in two types of situations. When
there is mandatory voting, such as Australia, there is also mandatory registration. The latter
follows logically from the former. In addition, when the state takes responsibility for initiating
the
voter registration procedure, such as by instituting a system of door-to-door enumeration, or
maintaining a compulsory civil registry, there is a near-mandatory form of registration.
A result of mandatory registration is the existence of a more comprehensive listing of all eligible
voters and a more accurate assessment of voter turnout as a proportion of eligible voters. The
true
measure of voter turnout at an election is the proportion of voters in relation to the voting age
population, thereby taking into account the effectiveness of the voter registration program. A
second implication of compulsory voter registration is that citizens understand more fully the fact
that voting is a civic duty and responsibility. At a symbolic level, a system of mandatory
registration and mandatory voting implies that each citizen has an obligation to vote both for
him-/herself and for the political community as a whole. In other words, the obligation to vote is
for the health of the democratic system, not only for the chance to have one's personal
preferences
represented.
