Harare, Zimbabwe (News of the South) – The Election Resource Centre (ERC), has expressed concern at the reintroduction of the proof of residence as a pre-requisite for one to register to vote without any other alternative alleging that the move disfranchises thousands of voters.
ZEC, in the Sunday Mail of 18 June 2017 announced that prospective voters are required to produce physical proof of permanent residence for eligibility to register to vote.
This a shift from an earlier proposal that sought to enlist voters on the roll without producing residency documentation, alternatively allowing prospective voters to use affidavits swearing to their place of residence.
In a statement the ERC says “this happening ahead of the imminent voter registration exercise potentially threatens the principle of inclusivity which is desirable for credible elections to be attained”.
“The provision of proof of residence, the ERC notes, will further disenfranchise potential registrants as witnessed in the past before the scrapping of the requirement”
“While the ERC acknowledges the fact that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), acted on the recommendations from stakeholders, the ERC is deeply worried in that a strict requirement on proof of residence will disenfranchise hordes of prospective voter who invariably could fail to obtain the required proof”
The organisation said in such a situation any attempt at registering voters conscious of administrative hurdles like proof of residence will fall short of fulfilling the voter registration principle of accessibility.
The ERC has expressed fears that obtaining a proof of residence might be a challenge to many people in the both rural and urban areas who are likely to be disenfranchised by the requirement due to known constraints related to reluctance by traditional leaders and land owners who might be miffed by one`s allegiance to a particular political inclination.
Section 67 (3) of Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides the right to vote to every Zimbabwean who is eighteen or over the age of eighteen years of age, however, this right will potentially be violated as many Zimbabweans struggle to secure proof of residence.
As a way forward the ERC has insisted that ZEC revisit the recommendation that it take into consideration and must also be guided by the international standards guiding the principles of voter registration.
“The voter registration process must be fair, comprehensive, credible, transparent, inclusive and relatively easy to access it”
“It is crucial that ZEC considers eligibility requirements that are broad to facilitate untramelled access by citizens to voter registration services”
“In addition the Commission must minimise or must make sure that there is no systematic exclusion of any group including the vulnerable and marginalised populations” it said.
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