ABSTRACT
The Plebiscite Commission must take steps to insure that only bonafide inhabitants of the plebiscite zone participate in the plebiscite process. If a plebiscite is a mechanism for measuring the "will of the people," it is necessary that "the people" be defined precisely. The Saar plebiscite provides an illustration of what is required to demonstrate who is qualified and who is not qualified to vote. Registration constitutes the acid test for voter qualification. It is the point where it is learned if the rules are indeed exhaustive and mutually exclusive. In normal circumstances registration is a necessary prerequisite for a free, accurate poll. However, there are circumstances when the compilation of a voter register is all but impossible. Persons living outside a plebiscite zone but who are designated as qualified voters are called outvoters. Areas that have suffered extended periods of violence and disorder often produce large numbers of outvoters—sometimes spread across the globe.
