The Makers of Voters: How Sociotechnical Practices Uphold the Right to Vote in Cameroon

Georges Macaire Eyenga, Wits university

This article explores the creation of the electorate as a political entity and figure of sovereignty within contemporary democracies. It focuses on the practices of Cameroon’s street-level bureaucrats, specifically agents of Elections Cameroon (Elecam), and examines the sociotechnical conditions of voter registration on biometric databases and their impact on access to voting rights. The analysis is based on data collected during a study conducted between 2021 and 2024 at the General Directorate of Elections (DGE), as well as at its local offices in Soa and Nkolmesseng (a district in Yaoundé). Theoretically, the article draws on research related to bureaucracies, elections, and infrastructures. The findings reveal that the electorate, far from being a legally defined entity, is in fact the historical product of a sociotechnical assemblage, including bureaucracy, biometric kits, regulations, practices, resources, and the socio-political context. It also highlights the implications of these agents' commitment to the ideal of Leave No One Behind (LNOB), positioning them as true "makers of voters."

Keywords: Population and Development, Census data, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session 75. Population Registers, Human Rights and Ethics