Come up with comprehensive voter registration methodology: ZEC urged

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AN election watchdog has called on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to come up with a comprehensive voter registration methodology, to ensure all voters are captured in one single voters’ roll, not two as was the case in the recent Nkulumane by-election.

AN election watchdog has called on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to come up with a comprehensive voter registration methodology, to ensure all voters are captured in one single voters’ roll, not two as was the case in the recent Nkulumane by-election.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

ZEC used two voters’ rolls in the Nkulumane by-election — a polling station based voters’ roll, which had names of those that registered afresh during the November 2015 registration exercise and a supplementary polling station based voters’ roll, extracted from the 2013 ward-based voters’ roll.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), in its report of the Nkulumane by-election, said international best practices called on the need for the use of a single voters’ roll to enhance confidence in the electoral system, adding ZEC should strive to do the same.

“This becomes the second time that the commission has utilised two separate voters’ rolls (main and supplementary rolls) under the polling station-based voting system, prompting some stakeholders to raise questions over ZEC preparedness to fully implement the system for the 2018 harmonised elections,” ZESN, that was accredited to monitor the by-election, said in its report.

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“ZESN reiterates its position that international best practice encourages the use of a single voters’ roll in order to enhance stakeholder confidence. The main voters’ roll for Nkulumane had a total of 13 331 registered voters, while the supplementary voters’ roll had 20 787.

“A comparison of the main and the supplementary voters’ roll reveals that that most of the eligible voters in the constituency failed to avail themselves for the November 2015 registration.

“The continued use of two voters’ rolls reveals the need for ZEC to come up with a more comprehensive voter registration methodology, that ensures that all eligible voters are captured by the new polling station-based voter registration system.”

Zanu PF’s Killian Sibanda won the by-election that was marred by voter apathy.

According to ZESN, the low voter turnout was influenced by the boycott of major opposition parties over “lack of electoral reforms”.

The MDC’s and Zapu boycotted the Nkulumane by-election.

“The low voter turnout for the Nkulumane by-election is consistent with the observed trends during all the 2014 and 2015 by-elections. These trends may be attributed to the fact that major opposition political parties have not participated in the by-elections and also the timing of this by-election, which coincides with the festive season, where people travel to different holiday destinations.

“Citizens expressed discontent with their inability to recall non-performing Members of Parliament once voted into Parliament, hence some citizens thought it better not to participate in the by-elections altogether,” the election watchdog said.