 Voters appeared enthusiastic throughout the voting process. It was also observed that for most of the morning there were large queues at most polling stations. At some polling stations, the officials organised an extra polling booth to reduce waiting times and the ZEC provided additional election personnel to assist with the process.  It was noted that at some polling stations there were gender-specific queues and priority was given to people with disabilities, lactating and pregnant mothers, and older people. However, this approach was not consistently applied, and an instance was observed when a group of military personnel were given preference over other voters, with the exception of women who were in advanced stages of pregnancy.  There was no designated time set for polling officials or party agents to vote. Those registered to vote nearby were given time to vote and return, but this was at the discretion of the presiding officer. Some officials who were deployed far away from their designated polling station were unable to vote.  Police were helpful and professional, and they carried out their election support duties in a restrained manner. The police assisted with queue management and ensured that the ‘300m/no-campaign�� zone was preserved.  Party agents from the two main political parties, MDC Alliance and ZANU-PF, were present in most polling stations observed. Party agents expressed general satisfaction with the management of the voting process. It was noted that on Election Day, the various political parties appeared collegial towards one another.  It was noted that party agents did not have copies of the voters roll and so they had to rely on the polling station’s roll if they wanted to challenge a voter on the basis that they were not registered at that polling station.  There were more polling stations in densely populated areas and, to manage the larger numbers of voters, the system of sub-dividing stations was used. Stations were sub-divided based on alphabetical groupings of surnames, the intent being to minimise wait times. However, the Group noted that due to poor signage, voters were confused or unclear as to their appropriate station. This was especially challenging for voters in rural areas.  The Group observed some voters being turned away because they were at the wrong polling station or their names were not on the roll. Additionally, some of those turned away were those on an ‘exclusion list’. In cases where voters were turned away because they were at the wrong station, the presiding officer attempted to redirect them to the correct polling station. 50