AT least 2.9 million registered voters inspected their details on the voter’s roll between July 17 and 26 when the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec)conducted a special inspection exercise ahead of ward and constituency delimitation later this year.
The inspection exercise, done physically at verification centres that were set up by Zec across the country or online, was meant to allow voters to check whether they were appearing on the roll, and if their details were captured correctly.
Once all the corrections have been taken on board, Zec will then produce the final voters’ roll that will be used for the purpose of conducting the delimitation exercise.
In an update, the commission said the voters roll inspection turnout was 50.03 percent. “2 904 253 voters out of 5 804 497 inspected their details during the inspection period,” it said.
Those who physically inspected their details amounted to 789 976, while those who inspected via the *265# USSD service amounted to 2 114 286.
The impending delimitation exercise is meant to create new electoral boundaries ahead of the 2023 elections. In preparation for the delimitation exercise and subsequent elections, Zec conducted a voter registration blitz in February and April this year.
The voter registration blitz was part of several pre-election activities that ZEC and other relevant stakeholders have lined up in preparation for the 2023 polls.
One such stakeholder, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, conducted a national population census in April this year whose results will also guide the creation of new electoral boundaries to be used in 2023. The population census was held a year earlier specifically for that purpose.
In the same vein, the Civil Registry Department is conducting the national mobile registration exercise from April 1 until September 30 targeting to register at least two million people, double the number known to be on the backlog which accumulated during the Covid-19 lockdown period.
During the exercise, documents such as national identity cards, birth certificates, death certificates and cattle brands will be availed free of charge.
New Ziana