Source: Election watchdogs step-up voter education – DailyNews Live
Farayi Machamire 8 December 2017
HARARE – As the country enters the homestretch of the Biometric Voter
Registration (BVR) blitz, Civic Society Organisations (CSOs) have upped
their voter education campaigns.
As of December 5, at least 3 599 459 had registered to vote, according to
national elections management body Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
The elections body is targeting to register 7 million voters.
Election Resource Centre director Tawanda Chimhini said they were putting
all hands on deck to ensure all eligible citizens are mobilised to
register to vote.
“So it has become necessary for us to upscale voter mobilisation because
time is running out. We may need to incentivise registration, provision of
information and we have intensified our presence on social media, TV and
radio stations,” Chimhini said.
CSOs led by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) have also
been deploying hundreds of personnel to in a bid to mobilise prospective
voters to register.
ZimRights executive director Okay Machisa said they have intensified their
programmes of mobilising people to register to vote.
“We also realised that the interest in Harare to register to vote has
really been high.
“The number has gone up by 80 percent that has been largely because of the
politics around the country motivated either positively or also the
initiatives we are doing are affecting the increase.
“We are doing door-to-door campaigns and proving free transport to ferry
people to register,” he said
Apart from the roadshows in the provinces, Machisa said they had
intensified their voter education campaigns in the urban and rural areas
by launching TV and radio programmes.
Zec introduced the BVR for next year’s elections in a bid to ensure that
the country holds free, credible and fair elections.
The BVR process will last for 72 days and will be held in four phases.
The fourth phase commenced on December 4 and ends on December 19.
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