• Clause 7 amends Section 23 of the Act in regards to proof of residence of voters upon seeking registration. The amendment allows people who seeking registration to prove identity and that they are resident in the constituency concerned by documents prescribed by the Commission or by any other acceptable means. • The open-ended nature of means to prove identity or residence may be regarded as useful especially in rural constituencies where physical residential addresses are not generally available for everyone. The same reasoning also applies to urban areas where it is not uncommon for relatives in the extended family to leave with relatives but they may not have evidence that meets the prescribed criteria to prove residence. The Operation Murambatsvina in 2005 also caused displacement of voters leaving many people without homes or evidence to prove residence. Youths also often struggle to prove residence therefore the open-ended nature of this provision is welcome since it will encourage flexibility. Closure of Voter Registration • Clause 8 amends Act by removing the current discrepancy between general elections and byelections where different rules applied regarding the closure of the voter’s roll before voting so that in all cases the voters rolls will be closed 24 hours before nomination day. This is a useful synchronisation of provisions relating to elections which is necessary for consistency and simplification of the process. New Voters Roll • Clause 9 introduces through a new Section 36A, provisions dealing with voter registration. The new provision will allow the President, on the advice of the Commission, to call for a completely new registration of voters, either in all wards and constituencies or in particular wards and constituencies. The period for such new registration is fixed at six months, however the Commission may, by notice in the Gazette, extend the new registration beyond the day 4