IMPLEMENTING BVR: BUILDING THE CASE FOR ZIMBABWE TOWARDS 2018 PERCEPTIVES FROM THE REGION T E Mwanyisa

Introduction The ability to exercise the democratic right to vote is premised on the existence of a comprehensive and inclusive electoral register, which is rigorously maintained to ensure that each eligible citizen is registered to vote once.

The current status of the Voters Roll paper based VR process and verification of data is mostly manual. This is costly as a new register has to be prepared and updated for each election. Verification of data is difficult and is open to manipulation. Deceased people remained on the voters’ register. ZESN conducted a voters roll audit for the last election and the list-to-people test showed that 27% of voters registered in the voter’s roll were deceased. The computer test revealed 2344 people born between 1901 and 1909 aged between 101 and 110 years old, it also revealed 9 people aged between 1890 and 1900 aged between 111 and 120 years old. The report noted that there was under registration of young people The computer test showed that only 18% of the youths (aged between 18-30) were registered as voters, it could be as a result of apathy among the young voters or there was a deliberate under registration of the young people.

Why BVR

Considerations for introducing BVR Financial sustainability Stakeholder buy in Human Capacity/ Capacity building Sustainability

What the system should be able to do Immediate issuance of the voter card Removal from register those not eligible to voter Deduplication of the register Registration time and distance reduced

Lessons from the region

Contemplating Technology Does the system allow double entry or recapturing of the data if data is lost? What is the capacity of the average voter registration staff member? What training is available for staff given the time and resource constraints? What are the general infrastructure conditions: transport, communications, energy sources?

Contemplating Technology What quality control mechanisms can be installed to safeguard against lost or damaged data? How effective is the system and can it prevent corruption and misuse? How complex is the system in terms of logistical and organisational challenges? Is the system transparent enough to allow for stakeholder participation? How can the quality of the data be ensured?

Something to think about Political reality determines the necessary security features of a system. Inclusiveness in planning and the evaluation of VR processes is needed to maximise system performance Confidence in the voters register depends on confidence in the impartiality and independent decision-making of the EMB The best system will fail if not managed well

Something to think about Efficient timing is critical; lead times for equipment purchase need to factor in delays in supply Systems need to be tested rigorously before being implemented nationally

Looking ahead Voter Info Objections Results Persons > 18 who vote Provinces National ID Election Internet Constituency Constituency Constituency Constituency Constituency Constituency