Community Leaders Should Help Sensitizing People About The Voter Registration Exercise
Monze District Voter Education Committee Coordinator, Kanchele Kanchele urged local leaders to help sensitize communities on the need to vote.
Speaking during Chikuni’s Platform program Mr Kanchele said the local leadership and community members with influence in their areas should help sensitize people and ensure that they register as voters during the forth coming voter registration exercise which commences on 28th October, 2020.
He said the district had commenced Voter Education and Sensitization which was taking place in all the wards ahead of the Voter Registration exercise adding that the local leadership was essential to the success of the exercise.
“The District is ready for the exercise. We have received the logistics required for the exercise from Electoral Commission Zambia (ECZ). As we speak, Voter Education Facilitators are on the ground preparing the communities for the exercise.
“Our appeal to the Community leaders, the councilors, the headmen, the church and of course the Royal Highnesses is help by telling your people that the ECZ will be conducting Voter Registration exercise starting on 28th October, 2020 at mobile registration centres in all the wards and everyone has to go and register because the ECZ is coming up with a new register all together.”
He further said voting is a right which should be taken seriously as it is the only way of ensuring that one’s preferred leaders are chosen and that people should ensure that they register to vote if they want to take part in choosing leaders next year.
Asked on the fears about the period for voter registration, Mr Kanchele advised people not to wait until the last minute but instead turn up in numbers from the start of the Voter Registration process till the last day saying doing so will not only ensure maximum utilisation of the mobile registration equipment but also ensure that the targeted numbers are reached.
And speaking during the same Radio Program Catholic Priest, Father Fred Mundando said there is need for the Electoral Commission to build confidence and trust in Zambians by involving them in every key process leading to elections.
The priest observed that the public is not comfortable with the 30 days voter registration period set by the commission.
He however, was quick to advise eligible voters to use their fears as a force to push them towards acquiring voter’s cards because it’s a tool that can bring their desired change.
And Monze Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) Information Officer Kebby Salisimu has encouraged the public to take advantage of the physical voter registration which starts on 28 October to acquire voter’s cards.
He says old voters cards will not be used the 2021 general elections hence those eligible should ensure they get new ones to choose their preferred candidates.
The National Voter Registration Exercise will commence across the on 28th October, 2020 and end on 30th November, 2020. The Commission is targeting 9million voters.
This article originally appeared on Lusaka Times