This Election, If You See Something, Say Something
This election, Open Zambia is helping to keep the vote free and fair by supporting election monitors across the country. As part of this, we are publishing the results of a Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) to calculate voter turnout and ensure that official results are not compromised.
As well as this, we are also publishing reports of confirmed election malpractice to our website in order to spotlight instances of corruption or violence. These will be published on the ‘Incident Tracker’ section of our site, which will be live soon.
For this we need your help. As well as relying on reports from election monitors we want you, Open Zambia readers, to send us proof of electoral fraud. From discarded ballots to voter intimidation, we want you take pictures of anything that doesn’t look right and send them to us via WhatsApp at +27 84 054 8704. Be sure to include the polling station name, location and time of the incident.
This is absolutely vital work. With relatively few official election observers and the high possibility of targeted internet blackouts, it is important that we have as many eyes and ears on the ground as possible. Forward the WhatsApp number to your friends and family and encourage them to report anything they think is suspicious. By documenting what you see, you can help alert authorities to what is going on and ensure that these elections are kept as transparent and fair as possible. So, if you see something, say something.
What Should I Document?
Election malpractice can take many forms. Below is a brief list of the kinds of things you should document if you see them happening and can safely take a photograph. Above all, if you see something that doesn’t look right, send a picture and let us know at what polling station the picture was taken.
Political Violence
• Attacks against people or property by supporters of a political party in the name of their movement.
• Attacks against individuals for supporting a political party or movement.
• Attacks against polling station staff, election observers or members of the media.
• Police or military personnel harassing voters unnecessarily.
Ballot Tampering
• Disposal or damage of official ballots after votes have been cast.
• Votes being changed on ballots.
• Voters or officials placing multiple ballots into the ballot box.
• Polling stations running out of ballots.
Voter Tampering
• Voters being harassed, threatened or bribed into voting for a particular candidate.
• Voters being accompanied in the voting booth when they have not asked to be.
• Elderly voters being deliberately confused or manipulated into voting for a particular candidate.
• Voters being turned away from a polling station and prevented from casting their vote. (Remember that if you are in the queue when polling closes, you are still entitled to cast your ballot.)
• A polling station not opening on time.
• A polling station closing early.
Technological Challenges
• Biometric machines not working
• Power outages
• Internet blackouts
What Else Can I Do?
The most important thing you can do on election day is to stay safe and cast your vote peacefully. However, if you do see something that isn’t right and you are in a position to act, alert polling station staff or the authorities to the situation. Take photographs as evidence of the incident and send these to us via WhatsApp (+27 84 054 8704). We will be able to confirm any incidents and share reports with the necessary authorities, journalists and human rights groups. Together, we can help defend Zambia’s democracy.