Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 05/2013

Voter Identification Requirements and International Law: An Examination of Africa and Latin America

January 2013

The Carter Center

Abstract

The Carter Center's "Voter Identification Requirements and International Law: An Examination of Africa and Latin America" is an in-depth report that seeks to examine voter identification laws and procedures in Africa and Latin America, provide a comparative analysis, and make some preliminary determinations as to whether existing practices comply with international public standards of universal and equal suffrage. The report provides an overview of the laws and regulations in nearly all of the countries in these two continents, analyzes the conditions that give rise to these practices, and details some of the challenges they can create for citizens. It includes several case studies representing the various types of voter identification systems and complexities that confront elections stakeholders in these regions.