20. The United Nations’ Human Rights Committee, which has a supervisory role under the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, established during its 57thsession in 1996[6], a list of international Standards for Elections. It was established that any conditions which applied to the exercise of the rights protected by Article 25 of theCovenant (which recognises and protects the right of every citizen to take part in the conduct of public affairs, the right to vote and to be elected, and the right to have access to public service) would have to be based on objective and reasonable criteria. Thus, no distinction can be made between citizens in the enjoyment of these rights on the grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The right to vote at elections and referendums had to be established by law and subjected only to reasonable restrictions, such as setting a minimum age limit for the right to vote. It was unreasonable to restrict the right to vote on the ground of physical disability or to impose literacy, educational or property requirements. Furthermore, states had to adopt effective measures to ensure that all persons entitled to vote would be able to exercise that right, and should facilitate registration of voters, when registration is required. If residence requirements apply to registration, they must be reasonable, and should not be imposed in such a way as to exclude the homeless from the right to vote. Voter education and registration campaigns are necessary to ensure the effective exercise of Article 25 rights by an informed community. It is therefore sound to say that registration (on the entitled voter’s initiative) is assumed to be in the Covenant a proper way of ensuring access and participation. In the Lippiatt case, the County Court Judge allowed the application to register of a “homeless” voter on the basis of a temporary (though of some duration) residence in a constituency, even though the applicant had no permanent home.[7]
