VOTER REGISTRATION AS A PREREQUISITE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CITIZENS CONSTITUTIONAL VOTING RIGHT

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the institution of voter registration in the context of the implementation the electoral rights of Ukrainian citizens, guaranteeing the principles of generality, equality of voters, one-time, optional and personal nature of voting, substantiating the impact of registration on the organization of elections and election procedures. It was determined that voter registration should ensure the implementation of two oppositely directed principles of the election process: create conditions for the exercise of the right to vote by each voter and prevent the use of this right more than once. It has been established that the voter registration institute is one of the types of state registration, because it corresponds to the general features of this institute: the requirements for voter registration, the methodology and the procedure for conducting it are determined by the norms of the law, this registration is mandatory for the entities that conduct it, it is carried out for the purpose of official confirmation of the state’s recognition of the legal status of a voter by citizens, and therefore, the information contained in this register contains legally significant information and has legal consequences. The author substantiates the following definition of the institution of voter registration – it is a legal institution that regulates social relations between specially authorized registration bodies and citizens of Ukraine regarding the implementation of logically interconnected and mutually conditioned procedures aimed at ensuring state registration of citizens who have the right to vote. The opinion is proved that the procedure of drawing up voter lists is a stage of the election process, since this procedure is characterized by the presence of its own independent goal – ensuring the admission to participate in the voting procedure of every citizen of Ukraine who has the right to vote, and this goal contributes to the realization of the ultimate goal of the election process itself; a special circle of subjects with a specific legal status participates in the process of drawing up voter lists; it is also characterized by a special range of election actions, which are carried out in a certain sequence within the limits of this procedure and the election process as a whole. Voter lists are the formal and legal basis for a citizen to receive a ballot and exercise his right to freely express his will by voting.