REGISTRATION OF VOTERS. Un restricted and general registration of voters is required by law in 40 of the American States, as a check to fraudulent voting; in two there are no registration requirements; in the others a restricted registration is required, as in cities and towns of specified population, in certain cities, towns and villages that have become in corporated, in cities but not in country pre cincts, etc. 'In some States a voter having once registered is not required to register again while he retains the same qualifications and residence. In the State of New York yearly registration is required in the large cities, while in the country districts it is not necessary. Previous to registration "repeating)) — that is, voting more than once in one election — and other frauds were very common and probably affected the results of important political contests. The voter is required, as a rule, to give Lis name, age, residence, place of birth and, if of foreign birth, produce his naturalization papers, should the registering officials demand them. For a
short time New York State had a law requiring the registry board to make a record of the physical defects of voters for identification, but this proved offensive and unpopular and was soon repealed. It is a penal offense to make a false statement in registering. See various arti cles dealing with voting and suffrage.
In Great Britain and on the Continent of Europe voters are required to register, a most exact scrutiny being enforced as to the posses sion of legal qualifications for the suffrage.
In England the registration of electors was first established by the Reform Act of 1832, in terms of which, in England, the overseers of each parish were required to draw up a register of all persons qualified to vote. This still forms the basis of procedure, but the law has been frequently altered, the latest act on the subject being the Registration Act of 1885.