ZEC Misses 7 Million Voter Registration Target

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission driven  Bio-metric Voter registration exercise which ended yesterday failed to meet the 7 million target amidst calls by civic society groups to have the exercise extended to next year, Technomag can reveal.

According to voter registration statistics released by ZEC for December 18, 2017, a total of 4,630,095 million against the 7 million benchmark which government had set.

Total Voters registered to date is 4,630,095. This figure includes figures from the static registration centres for the period 18/9 – 9/10/2017. The above figures exclude returns/submissions from 469/2 582 centres on 18/12/17 at 1600 hrs due to network and communication challenges.

“Figures from these remote and inaccessible centres are coming at different intervals as and when they manage to get the network or travel to accessible areas. However as and when the figures come in, they become part of the cumulative total,” said ZEC.

Meanwhile, projected Voter Population figures for 2018 and include aliens, foreigners and persons without IDs as well as people turning 18 in 2018.

Turned aways are persons not complying with these requirements including illegible/defaced documents. Some of the turned away will find their way back once they get the relevant documentation e.g. proof of residence or ID.

These issues are being tackled through Voter Education and Publicity Campaigns.

The Electorate is urged to comply with Voter Registration requirements and prepare their documentation in advance.”

The Voter Registration was launched on 14th September 2017.

The Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN) recently called for the extention of the voter registration exercise after the High Court had had ordered the ZEC to register aliens as prospective voters for the 2018 general elections during the BVR exercise.

Voter Registration at static centres (63 ZEC District Offices) started on 18th September 2017 and the National Blitz on 10th October 2017 with 2 697 kits deployed and 303 as back up.

However judging by the previous numbers of people ZEC would at a given time, it show that ZEC would require a minimum of 17 days to register a million voters.

ZEC however indicated that the heavy rains among a host of other issues were an impediment to the voter registration exercise.