Recorded Somali referendum votes exceeded the plausible electorate size

Evidence

What was less clear was the size of the entire vote, which seemed too high given that the estimated population of the country was about three million. One of three reasons might explain this outcome. First, it is most plausible that overenthusiasm on the part of the authorities in some of the “positive” regions allowed underage people to vote, and that could have swelled the rolls. Second, Somalia’s estimated population figures could have significantly understated its population size. Third, a combination of these two scenarios might have prevailed. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 589

Categorization

• QUESTION: Which explanation his analysis ultimately endorses is worth tracking across later chapters, since it bears on how reliable the 1961 franchise actually was.