ZIMBABWE ELECTION SUPPORT NETWORK
BIOMETRIC VOTER REGISTRATION UPDATE – NUMBER7
26 October 2017 - The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) continues to observe the
Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise. This update is based on observations by ZESN
observers deployed to cover all the wards under Phase One.
Voter Registration Process
ZESN observed that at 98% of registration centres where observers were stationed, the
voter registration process was conducted smoothly with registration officials duly following
registration procedures. ZESN also observed that most of the registration centres opened
and closed at stipulated times thereby affording potential registrants ample time to present
themselves for registration. Of concern to ZESN are reports that some citizens with IDs
written ‘aliens’ were turned away despite having documentation to prove that their
citizenship status had been regularized.
Data Storage and Transmission
ZESN notes that as the first phase of the BVR exercise comes to a close, issues of
transmission and storage of data from the various registration centers to the district,
provincial and national data centers needs to be clearly explained by the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (ZEC) to enable electoral stakeholders to have a better understanding of how
registration data will be moved to the national data center. ZESN notes that in the spirit of
transparency and Open Data, the ZEC procedures on the transmission and storage of data
must be clearly communicated and publicized to all electoral stakeholders and the general
public. Critical information regarding kit movement in-between phases must be clearly
publicized, for instance, at the conclusion of each phase will the BVR kits be reset or new
registrations simply be added to what is already in a kit? In addition, what regulations and
procedures are in place governing the transportation of USB sticks, the receipt and
uploading of data to the central BVR database?
Political Environment
ZESN observer reports indicate prevalence of intimidation of potential registrants by
political actors, especially in rural areas, with registrants being forced to submit the serial
numbers of their voter registration slips. For instance, in Mt Darwin Ward 34 villagers were
being asked to report to the ZANU PF leadership after registering to vote so that the
particulars on their registration slips could be recorded. Furthermore, reports from Ward 17