'Voter Registration in Africa: A Comparative Analysis', published by the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa, offers a comprehensive introduction to the single most complex process within the electoral cycle. It critically analyses the efficacy and sustainability of different voter registration systems across the African continent.

The first part of the book provides an overview of different voter registration methodologies, including combined civil and voter registration, periodic versus continuous registration and active versus passive registration. It identifies guiding principles for voter registration and introduces the reader to the latest technological developments in the industry, such as fingerprint and face or iris recognition. The challenges of using biometric technology in harsh African conditions are highlighted, and the responsibilities of national election management bodies, international donors and other decision makers in this million dollar business are critically examined.

The second part of the book offers detailed descriptions of the voter registration systems used in eight countries, namely – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa.

Some have established sustainable and effective systems that provide numerous best practice recommendations, while the lessons learned from those countries with less successful registration exercises are invaluable.