Voter education key ahead of elections

With referendum and elections coming this year, it is important that there is an improvement of access to information for Zimbabweans so that they effectively exercise their right to vote and make informed choices on the constitution and candidates they want.

Among things which are critical to make informed decisions include: voter registration information; that is requirements to register to vote and where to register and polling stations.
Zimbabweans need to inspect the voters roll to check if their names appear and to ensure that they are entered correctly.

The Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) Act prohibits civil society organizations from providing voter education to citizens unless they are accredited by the Commission. Hence according to the Act, ZEC has the mandate to conduct voter education. It is heartening to note that last year, the commission invited willing civil society organisations to apply to provide voter education to augment its efforts.   

That was a welcome development given the massive voter education needed in Zimbabwe.

Ideally, civic education is a continuous process, not only provided a few months before elections are conducted as will be the case in Zimbabwe.
This justifies the need for the civic organisations to be involved in conducting voter education in the country.

In the past, ZESN discovered frustrations among some Zimbabweans arose from people being turned away because they tried to vote at the wrong polling station; or did not have the required identification documents. Such incidences can be avoided if there is adequate voter education in the country.

Apparently, voter registration which usually happens ahead of an election has this time been delayed on several occasions.

It was set for commencement early January this year.  But Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the Treasury was taking long to release funds. On the other hand, Prime Minister’s office blamed ZEC for submitting its budget late.

Should voter registration start, there is another hurdle to jump: the Treasury says the country does not have enough funds for the referendum and elections.
ZEC says it needs $200 million to complete constitutional referendum and general elections exercises. This amount includes that for voter registration and education which is about $20 million.

It is therefore important that voter education and registration are provided soon to ensure that all eligible voters participate in the impending elections.