ELECTORAL ACT (as amended at 24th January 2008) resident therein and has good reason to believe that he or she will be absent from the constituency or unable to attend at the polling station by reason of being⎯ (a) on duty as a member of a disciplined force or as an electoral officer or monitor; or (b) absent from Zimbabwe in the service of the Government of Zimbabwe; or (c) a spouse of a person referred to in paragraph (a) or (b); may apply to the Chief Elections Officer for a postal ballot paper: Provided that applications for postal ballot papers by members of a disciplined force may be made to the Chief Elections Officer through their commanding officers. (2) An application in terms of subsection (1) shall be— (a) in the prescribed form; and (b) signed by the applicant in the presence of a competent witness and accompanied by the voters registration certificate or proof of identity of the applicant or a copy of such certificate or proof of identity certified by a competent witness; and (c) delivered by hand or by registered post so as to reach the Chief Elections Officer not later than noon on the tenth day before the polling day or first polling day, as the case may be, fixed in relation to the constituency concerned: Provided that failure to register an application sent by post shall not invalidate the application. (3) A competent witness shall not witness the signature of an applicant to an application for a postal ballot paper unless he or she— (a) has satisfied himself or herself as to the identity of the applicant; and (b) has seen the applicant sign the application in his or her own handwriting; and (c) knows that the statements contained in the application are true or has satisfied himself or herself by inquiry from the applicant or otherwise that such statements are true; and shall sign the application in his or her own handwriting and shall add the title under which he or she acts as a competent witness. (6) The Chief Elections Officer shall number in consecutive order all applications for postal ballot papers received by him or her and all such applications shall be kept by the Chief Elections Officer and shall be open for public inspection, without fee, until the declaration of the result of the poll, when they shall be dealt with in terms of subsection (3) of section seventy. 72 Issue of postal ballot papers (1) If the Chief Elections Officer is satisfied, in regard to an application received by him or her not later than noon on the tenth day before the polling day or first polling day, as the case may be, fixed in relation to the constituency, that— (a) it has been properly completed and signed by the applicant and is properly witnessed; and (b) the name of the applicant is on the voters roll for the constituency and the application is otherwise in order; - 55 -