Changing  an  ‘Alien’  status  requires  a  bureaucratic  process,  which  has  deterred  at  least  some  voters   from  taking  advantage  of  this  change  in  the  regulations.  Failure  to  be  able  to  comply  with  the   bureaucracy  also  continued  to  deny  many  aliens  the  right  to  register:  ZESN  reported  that,  “at  the   Mabvuku-­‐Tafara  registration  centre,  an  average  of  20  people  was  turned  away  per  day,  the   majority  of  whom  were  elderly  aliens  without  long  birth  certificates”.65     In  spite  of  the  ZEC  press  statements,  confusion  also  remained  widespread  well  into  the  registration   process,  with  many  ‘Aliens’  unaware  that  they  could  change  their  status  and  vote,  or  being  unable   in  the  time  available  to  get  the  long  birth  certificates  required  for  the  change  in  status.66     Early  Problems  with  BVR  process     The  roll-­‐out  was  not  unproblematic:  Mudzi  South  constituency  was  initially  left  entirely  out  of  the   list  of  constituencies  for  BVR,  although  by  early  November  this  was  rectified.67  In  other  instances,  it   was  noted  that  some  polling  stations  had  been  assigned  by  ZEC  to  the  wrong  constituencies.  And  in   Seke,  ZEC  officials  turned  up  at  the  primary  school  to  begin  registering,  to  be  told  by  the   headmaster  that  they  could  not  as  he  did  not  know  anything  about  the  process.68  However,  these   were  technical  ‘glitches’  that  did  not  create  longstanding  obstacles  for  registering.       Proof  of  residence  and  affidavits     More  importantly,  thousands  of  complaints  across  the  country  began  to  mount  around  the  issue  of   proof  of  residence,  which  is  a  requirement  of  BVR.  The  law  allows  for  multiple  forms  of  proof  of   residence,  including:   •   Title  deeds   •   Utility  bills  with  a  person’s  name  on   •   Headmen,  chiefs  and  landowner’s  confirmation  that  a  person  resides  there   •   Hospital  bills  and  clinic  cards  reflecting  the  applicant’s  name  and  address   •   Statements  by  an  applicant’s  employer/landlord  confirming  his/her  residential  address   •   A  sworn  affidavit  confirming  address.       However,  in  many  BVR  centres,  there  was  a  prevailing  belief  that  only  the  last  form  of  proof  was   applicable  for  lodgers,  even  while  noting  that  very  few  registration  centres  in  fact  had  a  ZEC  official   present  who  was  already  a  certified  commissioner  of  oaths.69  This  meant  that  hundreds  of  would-­‐ be  registrants  were  being  turned  away.  The  chairperson  of  ZEC,  Judge  Rita  Makarau,  tried  to   address  the  situation  by  stating  that  all  the  above  forms  of  proof  of  residence  should  be  accepted,   not  only  a  sworn  affidavit  for  lodgers.  Many  more  officials  at  the  BVR  centres  were  also  hurriedly   granted  the  power  to  commission  these  affidavits  when  needed,  as  were  headmen,  chiefs,   headmasters  and  others:  more  than  500  additional  commissioners  were  appointed.  However,   considering  the  thousands  of  registration  centres  nationwide,  it  was  apparent  that  not  every                                                                                                               65  ZESN,  Biometric  Voter  Registration  Update  No.  17,  25  January  2018.     66  Chakanyuka,  Tinomuda:  “‘Aliens’  advised  to  regularize  papers”,  Sunday  News,  29  October-­‐4  November   2017.  Also  personal  discussions  with  “aliens”.     67  Chingarande,  Desmond:  “ZEC  recaptures  missing  Constituency”,  NewsDay,  9  November  2017.      Mhlanga,  Blessed:  “ZEC  blundering  exposed”,  NewsDay,  12  October  2017.     69 Share,  Felix:  “Zec  rolls  out  massive  voter  registration  blitz”,  The  Chronicle,  10  October  2017.     68   19