promoted the strengthening of the electoral management body’s relationship with key stakeholders, and the promotion of accurate and impartial election reporting. VI. Voter Registration The voter roll is generally inclusive but could be further improved. Enhanced ZEC transparency on data for voter registration is vital in order to help address anomalies and to boost confidence A The Right to Vote Under Section 67 of the Constitution, “every Zimbabwean citizen who is of or over eighteen years of age” has the right to vote. Certain disqualifications apply for people detained as mentally disordered, those declared incapable by a court, and those convicted of certain offences. It is not possible for the Zimbabwean diaspora to vote abroad, with the exception of diplomatic staff and their spouses (see Election Disputes section). B Voter Registration Voter registration takes place on a continuous basis and requires citizens to actively register as a voter. This was the first time that Zinbabwe has utilised a biometric voter registration (BVR) system. Further, in a departure from the past, following the 2013 constitutional amendment, ZEC was given the sole responsibility for voter registration, albeit with some cooperation with the Registrar-General for the confirmation of ID as required. BVR technology32 was used to capture a facial picture and fingerprints of each person. Voters were required to complete a voter registration form, and provide proof of identity (picture ID or passport) and proof of residence to be registered. ZEC started the BVR process on 18 September 2017, with the establishment of ten provincial and 63 district offices and continued through a series of phases around the country using registration centres, mostly reflecting polling station locations. A further BVR “Blitz” began on 10 October 2017 and stretched to 19 December 2017. Due to the probable underestimation of resources and speed of registration ZEC extended the “Blitz” through a “mop-up exercise” from 10 January 2018 to 8 February 2018. A verification period, when voters could check their own inclusion in the roll, took place 19-29 May 2018, after which the roll was further checked for errors and duplications. While registration is continuous, only those voters registered and confirmed by 1 June were included on the roll for the 2018 elections. The accuracy and integrity of the voter roll was a major point of contention in past elections and remained an issue under close scrutiny for these elections. The law states that ZEC should make the roll available to political parties, nominated candidates and voters in an “analysable and searchable” form and the EU EOM had been informed by the Chair of ZEC that it would be available prior to nomination of candidates on 14 June 2018. In the event, the final voter roll was 32 Biometric technology was supplied by a South African regional office of Hong Kong based company (with a production centre in China), Laxton, and software based de-duplication was done by a US company, IPSIDY. A lengthy procedure (with a court case, a contract signed in March 2018) of the acquiring company delivering deduplication led to serious technological and time constrains. 14