Source: ‘Zec’s BVR campaign not sexy enough’ – DailyNews Live
Farayi Machamire 22 October 2017
HARARE – Civic society groups say they launched mobile national voter
registration mobilisation and education campaign to augment the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission (Zec)’s voter education exercise which is not sexy
enough.
This comes as the electoral management body which has targeted seven
million voters had as of Thursday, biometrically registered 814 181
citizens with 19 697 being turned away for turning up without requisite
documents.
The turned away citizens had defaced identity cards, photocopied Identity
cards, producing drivers’ licences and lack of proof of residence all
pointing to a general lack of voter education.
“It has become necessary for us to intervene in terms of mobilising
citizens for voter registrations especially looking at the numbers that
have been said to have been registered,” said Election Resources Centre’s
Executive Director, Tawanda Chimhini.
As of Thursday, Bulawayo had the lowest registered citizens with 22 971,
Matabeleland North 31 565, Matabeleland South 31 781, Harare 99,240,
Midlands 114 862, Mashonaland East 128 174 and Manicaland 127 936 and
Masvingo 104 429.
“The numbers particularly in the urban centres are really low and we are
engaging communities to get to the bottom of it. Part of the problem is
limited voter education. There is no excitement, energy or passion. The
voter registration exercise is very passive and we would like to see more
active voter registration so that citizens don’t just participate as sheep
being shepherded but in a manner that allows citizens to question the
process critically and hold institutions accountable.”
The mobile roadshows form part of the broader joint ERC and ZimRights
initiative to raise interest in the current biometric voter registration
(BVR) process by Zec and encourage citizens to vote in the 2018 harmonised
elections.
The ongoing civil society roadshows which started on Monday with the
deployment of 10 huge branded trucks and mobile roadshow teams to the
different provinces are being graced by artiste and supporting acts.
The first part of the roadshows is on-going during the first phase of the
BVR blitz and cover areas being visited by the Zec teams where the
electoral body has put voter registration centres.
The initiative will also educate potential eligible registrants on key
elements of voter registration as the civic groups complement work already
being done by Zec’s voter education teams.
COMMENTS