groups  such  as  ZESN  deployed  observers  to  the  1983  wards  around  the  country  to  observe  the   process.     The  BVR  system  registers  voters  per  polling  station,  meaning  that  any  voter  can  only  vote  in  the   polling  station  of  registration.  This  is  a  mechanism  in  the  legislation  agreed  to  by  the  opposition,  to   prevent  voters  voting  in  multiple  polling  stations  in  one  constituency,  as  each  name  appears  only   on  one  polling  station-­‐specific  roll  -­‐  and  to  ensure  polling  boxes  are  not  moved  (and  therefore   interfered  with)  ahead  of  the  vote  counting  period.  But  this  method  has  other  drawbacks:  there  are   only  a  few  hundred  individuals  on  any  roll,  and  as  people  are  voting  very  locally,  it  does  undermine   the  anonymity  of  the  vote  to  some  degree  in  rural  areas,  where  villagers  know  in  advance  how  their   neighbours  are  likely  to  vote.57       Issuing  of  ID  documents     The  BVR  coincided  with  an  attempt  by  the  Registrar  General’s  office  to  make  the  issuing  of  identity   documents,  essential  for  BVR,  more  accessible  around  the  country.  This  was  partially  as  the  result   of  the  political  opposition  raising  concerns  about  the  number  of  people  without  these  documents,   especially  youth,  which  would  preclude  registration  for  voting.  On  16  October,  the  Registrar   General’s  Office  announced  it  had  issued  287,300  IDs  through  this  outreach58,  although  many   complaints  still  remained  that  people  were  facing  long-­‐standing  obstacles  to  this,  such  as  the  need   for  a  birth  record,  which  prevented  them  from  obtaining  IDs.  313,551  birth  certificates  and  9,820   death  certificates  were  also  issued.  All  these  documents  play  a  vital  role  in  citizens  proving  their   rights  to  be  a  citizen:  a  death  certificate  of  a  parent  can  be  vital  as  it  shows  that  parent’s  citizenship.   However,  in  many  rural  areas,  there  was  little  or  no  publicity  about  the  mobile  units  issuing  ID   documents,  and  people  therefore  lost  out  on  the  opportunity.  This  was  reported  in  Insiza  and   Matobo  districts  in  Matabeleland,  as  well  as  elsewhere.       Groups  disenfranchised     Diaspora     The  largest  and  most  controversial  group  of  Zimbabweans  that  have  been  excluded  from   registering  and  voting,  are  those  in  the  Diaspora.  The  constitution  is  clear  that  ALL  Zimbabweans   should  have  the  right  to  vote,  and  other  SADC  countries  routinely  allow  their  citizens  abroad  to   register  and  vote  through  their  overseas  embassies.  However,  the  government  of  Zimbabwe  has   outright  refused  to  consider  this  option,  stating  that  if  Zimbabweans  abroad  want  to  vote  (apart   from  government  officials  abroad),  they  must  come  back  to  Zimbabwe  to  register  and  then  come   back  again  to  vote.59  The  opposition  parties  claim  that  ZANU  PF  is  aware  that  probably  the  majority   of  Zimbabweans  abroad  are  disaffected  from  the  political  status  quo  and  might  be  inclined  to  vote   against  the  ruling  party  if  given  the  option.                                                                                                                     57  For  example,  in  2008,  some  ZANU  PF  MPs  threatened  to  beat  or  kill  one  person  for  every  vote  against   ZANU  PF  at  the  nearest  polling  station.  http://solidaritypeacetrust.org/326/desperately-­‐seeking-­‐sanity/.     58  Share,  Felex:  “Mudede  warns  RG  officials  against  charging  fees  for  IDS”,  The  Chronicle,  16  October  2017.     59  https://news.pindula.co.zw/2017/07/11/diasporians-­‐want-­‐register-­‐2018-­‐elections-­‐need-­‐come-­‐back-­‐ makarau/     17