ZESN Report on the 31 July 2013 Harmonised Elections Election Day. The voters’ names would also be deleted from the voters’ rolls for the wards where they were registered. This provision is meant to safeguard the right of these citizens not only to vote but to do so freely. Special voting takes place 14 days before Election Day. According to ZEC38, 69,322 police officers applied for the special vote. This number was considered to be extremely high compared to the actual size of the police force because the MDC-T’s co-Minister of Home Affairs had indicated that there were only 38,000 police officers in the country.39 ZEC explained that the increase was due to the fact that temporary members of the police force, known as the constabulary or reserve police officers, would also be deployed on Election Day. Although police officers made up most of those applying for the special vote, there were also 15,000 ZEC officials, 140 army officers and 2,000 prison officers’ who had applied for the vote.40 Due to logistical problems, not all those who were eligible to vote managed to do so. In most special voting stations, balloting material, especially the ballots and the ballot envelopes themselves were delivered late. Most stations opened late and some did not open at all. ZESN observed that voting in some stations was still taking place on the morning of July 16 2013, as ZEC extended voting time an aspect not provided in the electoral law. In many polling stations there was no main voters’ roll and names were not being cancelled which led to fears of double voting in the 2013 harmonised elections. Breakdown of the special vote exercise At several stations, ZESN observers reported that police officers became unruly and riot police were deployed to calm them down as frustration over delays increased. At one station, ZESN observers witnessed special voters unhappy over the delay in voting smashing windows. In the end, as the table below shows, 40 per cent of the special voters did not vote, even though voting continued for a third day. ZEC attributed the delays to the late determination of Nomination Court appeals, delays in getting information for printing of ballot papers and mechanical failure at the printers. Some of these problems can simply be attributed to the fact that the election calendar was just too short to accommodate all the steps in the calendar adequately. The method used for special voting also exarcabated the problems, as voting only for the president could have reduced the complexity brought by preparing for ward and constituency ballots as done in other countries. 38 ‘‘ZEC apologises over special vote fiasco, available at <http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-11733ZEC+apology+over+special+vote+fiasco/news.aspx>. 39 ’70 000 police officers apply for special vote’ -in Newsday 9 July 2013. 40 Bill Watch 31/2013- Veritas. 39 | P a g e