under 30 years and 229 655 over 30 years.31 RAU noted that there were very few adults aged less than 30 years registered on the 2013 roll, with those 18-19 age band registering 8%, and over 1, 920,424 (29% of the total adult population) people under the age of 30 who ought to be registered as voters but were not.32 In light of this background of apathy and under-registration of the largest demographic group in the country, improvements in youth participation were anticipated in the 2018 BVR process. However, although ZEC did not release age-disaggregated data, despite numerous requests by stakeholders, ZESN observers presented anecdotal evidence that suggests that the low trend of youth participation, and their under registration is likely to continue with the new roll. While improvements are anticipated, the increases are unlikely to match national demographic statistics which suggest that there is a youth bulge in Zimbabwe constituting about 60% of the population. 31 32 RAU (2013) Gender Audit of the June 2013 Voters’ Roll. Research and Advocacy Unit. Harare RAU (2013) Key Statistics from The June 2013 Voters’ Roll. Research and Advocacy Unit. Harare. 36