citizens were unable to vote during the 30 July 2018 harmonised elections. The biggest affected categories were prisoners and citizens living in the diaspora. The major reason that has been given for the non-participation of these citizens was that there were no logistical and administrative mechanisms in place to support their voting. The ZHRC is of the view that this excuse has been given for far too long and that with proper advance planning and the necessary will, these citizens should be able to vote. As the country prepares for the next elections in 2023, it is therefore imperative that proper planning and measures be put in place, starting immediately, to facilitate voting by these citizens so that they do not continue to be disenfranchised. Section 72 of the Electoral Act provides that persons entitled to postal voting are individuals who are members of the disciplined forces, electoral officers or people outside Zimbabwe on Government business on polling day. Section 73 of the Electoral Act states how a person can apply for postal voting. Applications for members of the disciplined forces, are conducted through their commanding officers who confirm the person’s capacity as an employed Government officer. Section 75 further stipulates the procedure for a person to undertake postal voting in secret and dispatching of his/her vote by registered mail or courier service to the Chief Elections Officer. ZHRC was concerned with the undertaking of postal voting for ZRP members who were to be deployed to other duty stations on Election Day. The ZHRC observed the postal voting of ZRP at Ross Camp in Bulawayo and questioned the manner in which the process was handled, where all officers who had applied for postal voting were voting in front of their superiors. The ZHRC noted that that this opened room for manipulation of votes, non-transparency of the process and compromised the secrecy of the ballot. This was in contravention of Section 75 where an applicant is availed the opportunity to vote in private and individually send the ballot paper by registered mail or courier service to the Chief Elections Officer. Section 72 of the Electoral Act is also restrictive on who can benefit from postal voting. As a result many Zimbabweans were disenfranchised in the July 2018 elections. These include thousands of civil servants who were deployed on election related duties away from the constituencies in which they were registered. Other examples include the ZHRC Commissioners and staff members who were deployed around the Page 35 of 55