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Harare Bureau
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has received over 87 000 applications from prospective voters who want to vote in the special voting set for 14 and 15 July while Government has released $11 million for the same exercise. Of these applications, more than 69 000 are from the police and the electoral body is now in the process of approving the applications.
Special voting, done at least 16 days before the ordinary polling day, is done to allow people who will be on duty during the election date to cast their ballot in advance.
These include members of the uniformed forces and election officials and the early voting is also done at the same time with postal voting which caters for persons outside the country but only on Government business.
The 16-day minimum period, according to section 81A of the Electoral Act, allows ballots to be transported to the chief elections officer and then dispatched back to the respective wards before the ordinary polling day for them to be counted together with the ordinary ballots cast.
The generality of Zimbabweans will cast their ballots on 31 July.
Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said special voting would be conducted in a similar fashion to the general election.
“For transparency purposes, we prepared 120 000 application forms as we anticipated that not more than that would need to vote in a special way,” she said.
“We issued out 3 087 forms to the Zimbabwe National Army, 44 000 went to Zec, 70 000 to the Zimbabwe Republic Police while 2 000 were issued to the Zimbabwe Prison Services. Out of that, we received back 15 954 forms from Zec, 140 from ZNA, 2 000 from ZPS and 69 222 from ZRP making a total of 87 316 forms.
“Special voting is conducted in a polling booth like the one set up for the general election and it will be supervised by Zec officials following the same procedures. Polling stations will be at schools and some centres not barracks and police camps as some of you claim.”
Added Justice Makarau: “There are various media reports on the ZRP numbers and all we can say as a Commission is that we do not have a database indicating the number of police officers in the country and we rely on the figures we are given by the police.”
Zec has established 209 polling stations countrywide for special voting.
Justice Makarau said the number of people to vote during special voting might fall as some of the applications would be rejected.
“Some will be rejected for incomplete documentation that includes identification numbers and evidence through the E.C Number that one is in formal employment while those not on the voters roll will not vote,” she said.
“The deadline for receiving applications was 30 June and those that came late will not be considered. We are going to send authorisation certificates to successful applicants and that certificate should be produced during the day of voting for one to cast his or her ballot. If you do not get that authorisation it means your application was rejected.”
Justice Makarau said Treasury had released $11 million for special voting which she said would be adequate. “To date we have received $25 million for voter registration, $2,5 million for the sitting of the Nomination Court and recently $11 million for early voting and we are happy with the progress so far,” she said.
Justice Makarau said the law did not provide for journalists and Zec commissioners to vote early. “Yes, you may be away from your wards of residence during the general election and the same applies to the Commissioners but the law does not provide that you vote specially,” she said.
“It is something that was overlooked by the law and we hope that in the next elections the law will be able to accommodate these groups.”
She said accreditation of journalists who want to observe the special voting would end tomorrow, adding no one would access the polling stations without accreditation.
Justice Makarau said the 30-day voter registration exercise and voters roll inspection that started last month would end today.
She said the voters roll would close tomorrow and anyone who registers after that would not be able to vote in this year’s harmonised elections.
Online Reporter