This is under a new voter registration system set to be
introduced before the next elections in 2028. The Government is presently
drafting an omnibus Constitutional Amendment Bill proposing significant changes
to the country’s electoral framework, including shifting the responsibility of
voter registration from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Civil
Registry Department (CRD).
Under the proposed system, the CRD will become the
custodian of the voters’ roll, allowing the department to use personal and
biometric data it collects when citizens apply for civic documents such as
national identity (ID) cards to automatically register eligible voters.
Zimbabwean citizens can apply for a national ID card at 16
but are only eligible to vote once they turn 18.
Once registered, voters will be assigned to a specific
polling station based on the residential address used to apply for their ID
card.
However, if a person changes their address after obtaining
an ID card, they can update it before registration to ensure they are assigned
to the correct polling station.
The law requires voters to be assigned to a polling station
based on their registered residential address.
Additionally, the Registrar-General’s Office will
automatically remove names of deceased individuals from the voters’ roll once a
death certificate is issued in their name, helping to streamline the process
and keep the list updated.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said: “The proposal is to
transfer the role of voter registration to the Registrar-General’s Office,
which maintains records from birth to death. This would allow for an automated
voter registration process based on the data available.”
The system we want is one where once one turns 18, the
Department of Civil Registry, using their records, will inform them that they
are now eligible to vote.
“The system should also say if you do not respond to their
notification within two weeks or so, they will presume that your listed
residential address is where you want to be registered as a voter.
“So, you will then be registered automatically using your
given address.
“So, we are planning on rolling out a system where we can
actually have an automatic registration of voters.”
The automated system, Minister Ziyambi said, will also
handle updates to the voters’ register, including removing names of deceased
individuals from the roll.
“Additionally, this system will facilitate automatic voter
roll updates, such as the removal of deceased individuals upon issuance of a
death certificate,” he said. Sunday Mail
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