BALLOT News X Issue No. 2 September 2007 VOTER REGISTRATION BOOSTS TURN OUT By Ellen Kandororo - Dingani T here is a tenant that voters' registers are not just one additional element of the electoral process; they are in fact a crucial factor in the establishment and consolidation of a democratic system of government. Having comprehensive, accurate voter registers should be considered a prerequisite for free and fair elections. There have been however, exceptions to the rule such as the independence elections in Zimbabwe in 1980 and the election in South Africa in 1994 where no rolls were used because both these countries were coming from war. The main function of a good voter register is not only to promote high voter turnout, but also to enable any turnout at all. In general, it can be expected that comprehensive, continuously updated voter registers will produce higher voter turnout rates, although as an indirect effect. In fact, voter turnout rates are over 70 percent in most well established democracies where comprehensive and continuously updated voter registers exist. It is ZESN's belief that the people can only make their choice or voice their sentiments by voting in elections hence the need to curb voter apathy in elections. Voter apathy can in actual fact dilute the value for democracy. But however, though high voter turnouts are desirable also among political scientists and economists specialising in public choice, the issue is still debated. A high turnout is generally seen as evidence of the legitimacy of the current system. Dictators have often fabricated high turnouts in showcase elections for this purpose. For instance, Saddam Hussein's 2002 referendum was claimed to have had 100% participation. Assuming that low turnout is a reflection of disenchantment or indifference, a poll with very low turnout may not be an accurate reflection of the will of the people. On the X People queuing to vote other hand, if low turnout is a reflection of contentment of voters about likely winners or parties, then low turnout is as legitimate as high turnout, as long as the right to vote exists. Still, low turnouts can lead to unequal representation among various parts of the population. In developed countries, nonvoters tend to be concentrated in particular demographic and socioeconomic groups, especially the young and the poor. In India, however, the opposite is true. The poor, who comprise the majority of the demographic, are more likely to vote than the rich and the middle classes. In low-turnout countries, these groups are often significantly under-represented in elections. This has the potential to skew policy and a food for thought for voters. Some nations thus have rules that render an election invalid if too few people vote, such as Serbia, where three successive presidential elections were rendered invalid in 2003 because of the an average low turn of about 43%. Serbia's registered voters actually participated in the three rounds of the election, far below the 50% voter turnout required to make the elections valid. 12 Against the backdrop of the earlier observations in our last submission, it is not surprising that successes in African electoral democracy have been scanty and several challenges importunate. Challenges are acute in a plethora of areas of the electoral process: the legal framework, management of voters' registration, uneven electoral playing fields, conflict management and resolution, use and abuse of incumbency, and effective voter education. These, in our view, are areas in dire need of reforms particularly in Zimbabwe. But reforms are possible only where there is democratic consensus, a commodity that unfortunately is in short supply in our country, where political divisiveness and polarization has become rife. Political consensus should therefore be achieved in a divisive and polarized polity. Though this is not a simple matter, but democratisation is difficult without it. It is common knowledge that consensus requires the political elite to put aside narrow-minded interests and agree and commit to a common national agenda towards democratisation. Continued on page 13