Fredrick Moyo
MASVINGO- While the #RegisterToVote campaign continues to gain traction, 132 people registered to vote this past month, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) provincial office has confirmed.
ZEC Masvingo deputy Provincial Election Officer (PEO), Maxwell Ncube confirmed that people are answering calls to register to vote ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.
“Our registration figures continue to rise and we are still encouraging those who are not yet registered to do so at any nearest registration offices in the seven districts or at the provincial office,” said Ncube.
He also said that the increase in numbers is owed to various engagements with stakeholders who have been spreading the word in communities.
“The increase in the number of registered voters is attributed to a scaled-up campaign by other stakeholders as well as stakeholder engagements we started late last month so as to complement our operations as a commission.
“However, there is still need for prospective voters to come and register. We are currently engaging various categories of stakeholders so that they spread registration messages,” he added.
As at August 31, 2021 only 39 registered to vote; nine females and 20 males while from the 132 people who registered in September 29 are females and 103 males.
There were also 56 transfers recorded at the provincial office of which 24 are female and 32 male.
Those who have registered can also confirm their registration status at any ZEC office or on their website bvrinspection.zec.org.zw.
As ERC advocates for adaptation of new voter engagement strategies
… conservative methods are outdated resulting in low voter turnout
Leslie Karumbidza
Election Resource Center (ERC) has called upon the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) to adapt new citizen engagement methods around issues raised in the ongoing voter registration process, as the current methods are outdated resulting in a low turnout among the youths.
The recommendations were raised during a virtual discussion hosted in a TellZim News WhatsApp Group on October 7, 2021 running under the pretext ‘Voter Registration: Where are we?’ in which Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) Masvingo Provincial Elections Officer Zex Zirabada Pudurai and Election Resource Center (ERC) legal and Advocacy Officer Takunda Tsunga were the panelists.
Responding to questions during the discussion, Tsunga said the conversation method of engaging citizens to register to vote have become outdated and ZEC should find ways to engage youths in their spheres of influence and educate them on the importance of voter registration.
“The current conversation method is out dated and the electoral commission should get out of their comfort zone and adopt new methods of engaging youths in their spheres of influence to show them importance of voter registrations. As ERC, we have taken it upon ourselves to use platforms around the entertainment industry as it allows creating sceneries around entertainment and civic duties in terms of voter registration.
“Mobilization of citizens especially the youths should be done on platforms that they are comfortable with and the electoral commission should find ways to harness the use of social media to their advantage in order to register voters.
“Voter registration should be taken to actual sporting activities such as football, rugby where citizens will be engaged directly on the issues around voter registration and this will be a pro active way to engage the youths,” said Tsunga.
Youth participation in Zimbabwe elections and governance processes have been low as statistics show that mostly older people are politically active.
Pudurai said ZEC has been working to enhance access to information in marginalized and hard to reach areas through the use of radio programmes and other traditional methods of information dissemination, as well as engaging political parties.
“We are trying by all means to disseminate that information to all our stakeholders as well as other citizens. We will do the mobile voter registration system and we will go to all the particular constituencies, wards and villages to register before we do the delimitation process,” Pudurai said.
