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Zimbabwe is a 34 year-old democracy. It is still growing and so has a few things to learn on some aspects of how a democratic system operates.The concept has many defining components including the power of majority, the basic laws for citizens, separation of powers, competitive ability among various opinions and positions, political pluralism, equality and freedom. Another critical characteristic is the holding of free, fair and regular elections.
We have basically all of the foregoing, but all human endeavours have to be reviewed, improved on and put to rigorous testing from time to time.
As we continue on that path, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) recently suggested a raft of new measures to further improve our voting system.
Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau, proposed polling station-based voter registration and voting, embracing of the presently disenfranchised Diaspora voters and patients in hospitals and prison inmates. Parliament has already amended Section 22A of the Electoral Act to introduce polling station-based registration and voting.
The proposals mean an eligible voter would only register at a given polling station, and vote there, as opposed to the present system where they register anywhere in a ward and vote at any polling station in that ward. It also means Zimbabweans in the Diaspora would have to be registered to vote wherever they are, while inmates would be registered and be allowed to vote from behind bars. Patients would be allowed to exercise their right to vote from their hospital beds. The objectives of localised registration and voting are to curb double voting, voting by ineligible persons and inflation of votes. By extending the right to vote abroad, jails and hospitals, Zec wants to ensure that every citizen who can legally vote and wants to, can exercise that right regardless of their physical location.
This is good and is internationally recognised but has some challenges.
We have no problem with localised registration and mandatory local voting as it should encourage more people to vote, with polling stations literally at their door-steps. It suggests queues would be greatly reduced if, for example, a section of a suburb votes at a local school.
For Zec, as Justice Makarau said, it means less complicated logistics; as a voter appears at a local polling station register only not at all stations in their ward.
It is worth noting however, that the proposal for localised registration and voting is not necessarily an admission by the electoral body that people were double voting, inflating voting figures or that ineligible voters actually voted. We don’t think that the indelible ink was ineffective as to allow someone to vote in the morning, wash it off and vote again in the afternoon undetected.
We don’t think anyone inflated voting figures as systems are in place to test any claims. Also, we don’t think anyone unregistered to vote, actually managed to beat the system in any of our elections. If there were any, they were not so substantial as to materially affect the outcome of elections. What this new provision does is to reassure those who think otherwise. It indicates the improved quality of our voting system, and ultimately our democracy.
But mandatory voting at a specific station could be too rigid. The ward-based system is more flexible as a voter can have as many as 10 possible places to vote and can always choose where to vote as long as it is in their ward.
The Diaspora vote has been an issue of great contestation ahead of many recent elections, with the opposition, which thinks it has a vote bank abroad, calling for it to be incorporated into the system and Zanu-PF opposing it. It expands the right to vote to as many of us as possible thus enhance the credibility of our elections, but we don’t know how Zanu-PF’s concerns have been addressed.
With illegal sanctions, the ruling party can’t hold campaign rallies in the west or transfer money to or through those areas, where ironically, the bulk of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora live. On government business, its officials need special waivers to travel, even pass through the countries. On party business seeking a waiver must be a non-starter.
Also, Diaspora voting is sure to pose immense logistical challenges at Zec level in terms of deploying teams and materials for voter education, voting proper and so on. Would we have resources for a credible Diaspora vote in four years’ time?
Reaching out to hospitals and jails is good, but can cause the same challenges as those we saw on the special vote. Voters don’t live in jails or hospitals for ever, so if one is registered to vote at a school in Uzumba and is in a jail or hospital in Gweru and has to vote, it means his or her ballots have to be taken back to his polling station for counting. Transporting individual ballots to some 80,000 special voters and back gave us problems last year; now it would be a specific polling station and more voters.
Online Reporter