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Felex Share Harare Bureau—
THE polling station-based voting system has come into effect, with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) registering voters at specific polling stations where they will cast their ballots in the Marondera Central by-election on September 19. ZEC said if fully implemented, the new system is expected to put to rest allegations raised by the opposition in the past of ghost voters, double voting, voting by ineligible people and possible inflation of votes for participating candidates.

The Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13) provides for the creation of polling station-based voter registers.

The voter registration that was being used is ward-based and voters could vote at any polling station within their wards.

With the new localised voting system, voters will only cast a ballot at the polling station at which their names appear on the voters’ roll.

ZEC held an all-stakeholders briefing on the new voting system yesterday attended by political parties, civil society, churches, police, traditional leaders, people with disabilities and local authorities.

ZEC deputy chairperson Joyce Kazembe said polling station-based voter registration in Marondera Central began on Monday last week and will end on Sunday.

She said with such a registration system, the voter’s roll would eventually be left with no ghost voters.

“We’re encouraging everybody in the defined households who are going to be forming the voting area to actually go physically and register because we’re creating a polling station voter register,” said Kazembe.

“With that, we don’t expect someone dead to present himself or herself. If somebody arrives during the day of the voting and present themselves at a polling station and the person hadn’t actually registered during this period, we refer to our baseline, the 2013 voters’ roll, to check whether one is registered and we then direct that person based on the address to the specific polling station where the person should vote,” Kazembe said.

“We’re dealing with live persons, people that have actually registered and have been placed in a polling station register and who have come to inspect the voters’ roll. The 2013 voters’ roll will just be a baseline to catch those people that hadn’t come and who’ll present themselves.”

Kazembe said interested organisations or persons were free to inspect the ongoing voter registration exercise for Marondera Central.

She said a polling station would cater for up to 1,500 voters.

“We’re using the 800-1,500 threshold and house numbers to allocate voters to a polling station and, where the number exceeds this threshold, a new polling station is to be created, probably at the same centre,” she said.

“Each polling station will have a specific code.”

Kazembe said while the electoral body’s aim was to come up with polling station-specific voters’ roll, they would continue relying on the one compiled by the Registrar General’s office for record purposes.

“It’s important for us to make use of what’s there at the moment for progress’ sake,” she said.

The Electoral Court recently ruled that ZEC is not compelled to come up with a fresh voters’ roll.

This means the electoral body can still use the voters’ roll compiled by the Registrar General’s office and improve on it.

ZEC chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said the new system required adequate voter education and as such all stakeholders should assist in providing information to the electorate.

She said delays in aligning the country’s laws was hindering ZEC from executing its mandate.

“We were informed that the Bill aligning the Electoral Act to the Constitution was introduced in the august House in May 2015,” she said.

“We’ve not yet been informed of any further progress beyond the first reading. It’s not our place to demand that the Bill be enacted soonest and we make no such demand.

“We, however, feel genuinely apprehensive that if it takes so long to enact a Bill that we were advised was a stop-gap measure, we may not have enough time before 2018 to consult and enact the substantive amendments to the (Electoral) Act that we feel are essential for the better management of the 2018 general elections.”