The making of the electorate: Toward a praxiography of political participation in Cameroon

This article explores the construction of the electorate as a political entity and figure of sovereignty within contemporary societies. It focuses on the practices of street-level bureaucrats, specifically the agents of Elections Cameroon (Elecam), and examines the sociotechnical conditions surrounding the registration of voters in biometric voter registers and their impact on access to the right to vote. The analysis is based on data collected during a field study conducted between 2021 and 2024 at the General Directorate of Elections (DGE) and its local offices in the town of Soa and in Nkolmesseng (Yaoundé district). Theoretically, it draws on research on public bureaucracies to analyze how these agents negotiate and improvise in an environment characterized by a lack of resources and infrastructure. This perspective allows for a nuanced understanding of the theories on widespread corruption and bureaucratic inertia, which are often advanced in certain literature. The analysis demonstrates that the electorate is not merely a legal entity but is shaped by a range of sociotechnical factors, including bureaucracy, technological infrastructures, norms, practices, resources, and the sociopolitical context. It also highlights the implications of these agents’ commitment to the ideal of “Leave No One Behind” (LNOB), positioning them as true architects of the electorate.