Introduction
As part of their commitment to support democratic development and promote credible, transparent, and accountable electoral processes in Zimbabwe, the Election Resource Centre (ERC) and Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) are observing the voter registration blitz on an independent and nonpartisan basis for all Zimbabweans. The joint observation effort will provide citizens and key stakeholders with accurate, timely, and credible information on the voter registration blitz.
ERC/ZESN Methodology
In order to gather factual and verifiable information on the conduct of the 2022 voter registration blitz, ERC and ZESN deployed one volunteer per constituency who will observe periodically throughout the entire voter registration process and provide weekly reports on the political environment. These individuals were carefully recruited from local communities following a strict criterion and adhering to gender balance. These observers underwent a thorough training program on the conduct of the voter registration process, direction on what to observe, and when to report during the voter registration period. Additionally, while at the training observers signed a code of conduct acknowledging that they were non-partisan. ZESN and ERC will release periodic reports on the inclusivity, transparency and accountability of the voter registration blitz.
Timeline of Voter Registration Blitz
In late October 2021, the ZEC initially announced that it planned to conduct a voter registration blitz beginning in early December. The ZEC later detailed that the voter registration blitz would occur simultaneously across all 210 constituencies in two phases, with the first beginning on the 6th of December 2021 concluding on 20 December 2021 and the second phase starting on 28 December 2021 concluding on the 1st of February 2022. Approximately two weeks prior to the scheduled start of Phase 1 the ZEC postponed the entire voter registration blitz to early February 2022. The reason the ZEC gave for the delay was to provide additional time for Zimbabweans to obtain national ID cards which is a key requirement for one to register. The ZEC did not provide the new dates of the voter registration blitz until the 13th of January 2022 and it was at this time when the ZEC announced that the voter registration blitz was to begin on 1 February- 28 February 2022 with the second phase starting 11 April- 30 April 2022. The lack of sufficient notice and uncertainty of the timeline create confusion amongst individuals who wish to register or update their registration details. This also makes it difficult for other stakeholders, including political parties, civil society and observers to adequately prepare to engage in the process.
Read the full analysis here (119KB PDF)
Source: Election Resource Centre
