Voter registration is the requirement in some democracies Democracy is a political form of government where governing power is derived from the people, either by direct referendum or by means of elected representatives of the people (representative democracy). The term comes from the Greek: δημοκρατία – (dēmokratía) "rule of the people", which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) & for citizens Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities. "Active citizenship" is the philosophy that citizens should work towards the betterment of their community through economic participation, public , volunteer work, and other such efforts to improve life for all citizens. In this vein, and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote Voting is a method for a group such as a meeting or an electorate to make a decision or express an opinion—often following discussions, debates, or election campaigns. It is often found in democracies and republics in elections An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive A voter registration drive is an effort, often undertaken by a political campaign, political party, or other outside groups , that seeks to register to vote those who are eligible but not registered. Sometimes these drives are undertaken for partisan purposes, and target specific demographic groups that are likely to vote for one candidate or.

Centralized/compulsory vs. opt-in

In some countries, including most developed countries, registration is the responsibility of the government, either local or national; and in over 30 countries some form of compulsory voting Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. With a secret ballot, voters remain free to spoil their ballot papers or remove them from the polling booth, depending on the voting system. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to is required as part of each citizen's civic duty. Even in many countries where the voting itself is not compulsory, registering one's place of residence with some government agency is required, which automatically constitutes voter registration for citizens, and in some cases residents, of the required age. In other countries, however, people eligible to vote must "opt in" to be permitted to participate in voting, generally by filling out a specific form registeiring them to vote. Governments registering people has been shown to be one of the most powerful predictors of high voting turnout levels.^{[citation needed]}

Even in countries where registration is the individual's responsibility, many reformers, seeking to maximize voter turnout, have pushed for wider availability of the required forms; one such effort in the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language led to the passage of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 ("Motor Voter Law") and similar laws, which required states to offer voter registration at motor vehicle departments In the United States of America, a Department of Motor Vehicles is a state-level government agency that administers vehicle registration and driver licensing. Similar departments exist in Canada. The name "DMV" is not used in every state or province, nor are the traditional DMV functions handled by a single agency in every state, but the (driver's license A driver's license , driver's licence (Canada), or driving licence (UK, Ireland, rest of Commonwealth) (see spelling differences) is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus. Due to most Americans and Canadians possessing valid driving licenses, the driving license offices) as well as disability centers, public schools In most of the world, excluding England and Wales and some Commonwealth countries, a public school is an educational institution that is funded with tax revenue and most commonly administered by a local government or government agency. In England and Wales, the equivalent term would be state school, and public libraries A public library is a library which is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources (such as tax money) and may be operated by civil servants. Taxing bodies for public libraries may be at any level from local to national central government level, and to accept mail-in voter registration.

Same-day voter registration or Election Day Registration

Same day registration is also known as Election Day Registration In the United States, Election Day voter registration permits eligible citizens to register and vote on Election Day. Nine states in the US do not require advance registration, instead allowing voters to register when they arrive at the polls or, in the case of North Dakota, eliminating the registration step altogether. Five of these states rank highest in the nation in voter turnout.^{[citation needed]}

Effects and controversy

Laws requiring individual voters to register, as opposed to having the government register people automatically, have a strong correlation In statistics, correlation and dependence are any of a broad class of statistical relationships between two or more random variables or observed data values with lower numbers of people turning out to vote Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s. In general, low turnout may be due to disenchantment, indifference, or contentment. Low turnout is often considered to be where voting is voluntary. This lower turnout is especially concentrated among low-income voters and young voters — i.e., those least likely to vote no matter what the registration requirements.^{[citation needed]} Because of this, they are often controversial; some advocate for their abolition. Other groups, while not agreeing with this specific suggestion, argue that the laws should be reformed, for instance, allowing voters to register on the day of the election. This tactic, called Election Day Registration In the United States, Election Day voter registration permits eligible citizens to register and vote on Election Day, has been adopted by several U.S. states A U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of commonwealth rather than state. State citizenship is: Connecticut Southwestern Connecticut is part of the New York metropolitan area; three of Connecticut's eight counties, including most of the state's population, are in the New York City combined statistical area, commonly called the Tri-State Region. Connecticut's center of population is in Cheshire, New Haven County, Idaho Idaho is a mostly mountainous state, with an area larger than all of New England. It is landlocked, surrounded by the states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and the Canadian Province of British Columbia. However, the network of dams and locks on the Columbia River and Snake River make the city of Lewiston the farthest inland, Maine The original inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine were Algonquian-speaking peoples. The first European settlement in Maine was in 1604 by a French party. The first English settlement in Maine, the short-lived Popham Colony, was established by the Plymouth Company in 1607. A number of English settlements were established along the coast, Minnesota Nearly sixty percent of Minnesota's residents live in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area known as the "Twin Cities", the center of transportation, business and industry, education and home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of the state consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture;, Montana Montana has several nicknames, none official, including: "The Treasure State" and "Big Sky Country," and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains," and more recently, "The Last Best Place." The state ranks fourth in area, but 44th in population, and therefore has the third lowest population, New Hampshire It became the first post-colonial sovereign nation in the Americas when it broke off from Great Britain in January 1776, and was one of the original thirteen states that founded the United States of America six months later. In June 1788, it became the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution, bringing that document into effect. New, Wisconsin The word Wisconsin has its origins in the name given to the Wisconsin River by one of the Algonquian speaking American Indian groups living in the region at the time of European contact. French explorer Jacques Marquette was the first European to reach the Wisconsin River and record its name, arriving in 1673 and calling the river Meskousing in and Wyoming As specified in the designating legislation for the Territory of Wyoming, Wyoming's borders are lines of latitude, 41°N and 45°N, and longitude, 104°3'W and 111°3'W , making the shape of the state a latitude-longitude quadrangle. Wyoming is one of only three states (along with Colorado and Utah) to have borders along only straight latitudinal.

Registration of voters in various countries

Systems of voter registration vary widely from country to country. In some, voters are automatically added to the rolls when they reach legal voting age. In others, potential voters are required to apply to be added to the rolls.

Australia

The Australian Electoral Commission The Australian Electoral Commission also maintains the Commonwealth Electoral Roll. Under the Joint Roll Arrangements, the AEC maintains the electoral roll for the whole of Australia. This roll is used by the state and territory Electoral Commissions to conduct their elections administers Australia's federal electoral roll. Each state also has its own electoral commission or office, but voters need only register with the AEC The Australian Electoral Commission also maintains the Commonwealth Electoral Roll. Under the Joint Roll Arrangements, the AEC maintains the electoral roll for the whole of Australia. This roll is used by the state and territory Electoral Commissions to conduct their elections, which passes the registration details to relevant state commissions.

Voter Registration is mandatory for all citizens 18 years of age or above. An individual has 8 weeks after turning 18 to register, but may register at any time with no penalty being enforced for failure to register. Similarly, if a change of address causes an individual to move to another electorate (Electoral Division) they are legally obliged to notify the Electoral Commission within 8 weeks. In Australia, details of house and apartment sales are in the public domain. The Electoral Commission monitors these and sends a reminder (and the forms) to new residents in case they have moved to another electorate, making compliance with the law much easier.

Periodically the Electoral Commission conducts door-to-door and postal campaigns to try to ensure that all eligible persons are registered in the correct electorate.

The one registration covers Federal, State and Local voter registration. In Australia it is a legal offence to fail to vote (or at the very least, attend a polling station and have one's name crossed off the roll) at any Federal or State election, punishable by a fine. The amount of the fine varies between federal and various state elections. Usually people are issued with warnings when it is found that they have not voted, and they are given an opportunity to show cause for not voting. Acceptable reasons for not voting may include: being in the Accident Department of a Hospital, being ill (requires confirmation), being out of the country on election day, religious objections, being incarcerated etc. I forgot is not considered acceptable and will incur a fine. Section 245 of the Electoral Act provides that if an elector who has been asked the "true reason" for his failure to vote states that he did not do so because it was against his religion, this statement shall be regarded as conclusive, and no further action will be taken.

Traditionally voters cannot register within three weeks of an election, but in 2004 the Howard John Winston Howard, AC was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies Government passed legislation that prevents registration after 8PM on the day that the writs A writ of election is a writ issued by the government ordering the holding of a special election for a political office are issued (this can be up to ten days after the election has been announced).^[1] This legislation has been considered as controversial by some Australians who contend it disenfranchises Disfranchisement is the revocation of the right of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or rendering a person's vote less effective, or ineffective. Disfranchisement might occur explicitly through law, or implicitly by intimidation. Indirectly, it may occur when certain groups are not properly registered to vote, either on first-time voters or those who have forgotten to re-register. To ameliorate this concern, when the Electoral Commission considers an election announcement is likely with a few weeks it conducts public awareness advertising on the need to register or to update registration.

Canada

In Canada The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three, the task of enumeration was handled by the relevant elections bureau such as Elections Canada Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process. Elections Canada is the sole agency responsible for administering Canadian federal for the federal level until 1992. Until that time, the task was delegated to temporary employees from the public who were charged with going to each residence in assigned areas to determine the eligible voters for a publicly displayed list for each election. However, this system was discontinued for fiscal reasons in the 1990s in favour of an opt-in option where voters mark their consent to be added the national voters list, or register, on their annual income tax returns. Although this allows the list to be updated annually, there are still complaints of excessive numbers of omissions which needlessly complicates voting for the public and is contributing to a serious decline in the percentage of the population who votes.

The Register is also updated using the following sources:^[2]

• provincial and territorial motor vehicle registrars
• Canada Revenue Agency The Canada Revenue Agency (formerly Revenue Canada under the Federal Identity Program) is a federal agency that administers tax laws for the Government of Canada and for most provinces and territories, international trade legislation, and various social and economic benefit and incentive programs delivered through the tax system. It also oversees
• Citizenship and Immigration Canada The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for issues dealing with immigration and citizenship. The department was established in 1994 following a reorganization within the federal government
• provincial and territorial vital statistics registrars, and provincial electoral agencies with permanent lists of electors (e.g. British Columbia and Quebec
• information supplied by electors when they register to vote or revise their information during and between federal electoral events
• proven electoral lists from other Canadian jurisdictions

Same-day registration is also permitted.

Denmark

All citizens and residents of Denmark Denmark is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. Denmark has a state-level government and local governments in 98 municipalities. Denmark has been a member of the European Union since 1973, although it has not joined the Eurozone. Denmark is a founding member of NATO and the OECD. Denmark is also a member of the are included in the national register, Det Centrale Personregister Det Centrale Personregister , short CPR is a Danish nationwide centralised register of personal information, where each person is assigned a personal number The Danish Personal Identification number is a national identification number, which is part of the personal information stored in the Civil Registration System (Danish: Det Centrale Personregister) of ten digits which include the person's date of birth. The register is used for tax lists, voter lists, membership in the universal health care system, official record of residence and other purposes, and it is maintained by the Ministry of Welfare (Velfærdsministeriet). All eligible voters receive a card in the mail before each election which shows the date, time and local polling place; it may only be presented at the designated local polling station. Only citizens may vote in national elections, while long-time residents may vote in local and regional elections. Voting is not compulsory.

Finland

Voter registration in Finland Finland (pronounced /ˈfɪnlənd/ ), officially the Republic of Finland Finnish: Suomi; Swedish: Finland (help·info), is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden on the west, Norway on the north and Russia on the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland is automatic and based on a national population register. Each citizen is assigned a register ID at birth which contains a six digit date of birth, a century marker, and four other characters to make the ID unique which are mostly random, but one of which also indicates the person's sex. Permanent residents appear in this register even if they are not citizens, but this information is marked on the register. People in the register are legally obliged to notify the register keeper of changes of address. Changing the address in the register automatically notifies all other public bodies (for example the tax district for local taxation and the social security authorities) and certain trusted private ones (e.g. banks and insurance companies) making the process of moving residence very simple. Close to election time a notification is mailed to registered persons informing them of the election and where and when to cast their votes. Only citizens may vote in national elections but all residents can vote in local elections.

Germany

All permanent residents of Germany A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, has been known and documented before AD 100. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted until 1806. During the 16th century, northern Germany became the centre of the Protestant Reformation. As a modern nation-state, are required to register their place of residence (or the fact that they are homeless) with local government. Citizens who will be age 18 or higher on the day of voting will automatically receive a notification card in the mail some weeks before any election in which they are eligible to vote; for European and local elections, resident citizens of other EU The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 member states which are located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993 upon the foundations of the European Communities. With over 500 million citizens, the EU combined generated an estimated 28% share (US$ 16.5 countries will also receive these cards. Polling places have lists of all eligible voters resident in the neighborhood served by the particular station; the voter's I.D. card An identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card (IC). In some countries the possession of a government-produced identity card is compulsory while in others it may be voluntary. In countries is checked against these lists before they receive a ballot. Voting is not compulsory.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong Hong Kong[note 3] is one of two special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China; the other is Macau. Situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) and a population of seven all permanent residents who are above 18 years of age and sufferring from no mental illness can register as voters. Imprisoned people can also register and vote since the laws prohibiting them from voting was ruled unconstitutional in 2009. (They can vote starting from mid-2010 when the electoral roll is updated annually.) The registration process is voluntary. In 2002 around 1.6 million permanent residents did not register. www.legco.gov.hk/yr02-03/english/panels/ca/minutes/ca030317.pdf Paragraph 9

Mexico

In Mexico, there is a general electoral census. Any citizen of age 18 or greater must go to an electoral office in order be registered into the electoral census. Citizens receive a voting card (credencial de elector con fotografía) that must be shown to vote in any election. The same voting card generally serves as a national identity document.

Norway

All citizens and residents of Norway After World War II, Norway experienced rapid economic growth, with the first two decades due to the Norwegian shipping and merchant marine and domestic industrialization, and from the early 1970s, a result of exploiting large oil and natural gas deposits that had been discovered in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea. Today, Norway ranks as the are included in the national register, Folkeregisteret, where each person is assigned a personal number of eleven digits which include the person's date of birth. The register is used for tax lists, voter lists, membership in the universal health care system and other purposes, and it is maintained by the tax authorities. All eligible voters receive a card in the mail before each election which shows the date, time and local polling place. Only citizens may vote in national elections, while long time residents may vote in local and regional elections. Voting is not compulsory.

Switzerland

All citizens and other residents of Switzerland are required to register themselves with the municipal authorities at their place of residence. Voter registration is automatic for citizens, who receive their ballot by mail a few weeks before an election or referendum.

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