Physical Voter Verification To Finish Up Friday

The physical inspection of the provisional register of voters is taking place this week and will conclude on April 2. 

Civil society and political parties have been encouraging members to check their details before time runs out to make sure they will be able to vote in the upcoming elections on August 12.  

During the exercise the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) is providing services including the replacement of lost voters cards, as well as those that have been damaged, destroyed or defaced. They will also be amending errors and can transfer voters from one polling station to another. Citizens can also object to a name appearing in the register or make a claim for inclusion if their details are missing. 

Some groups have expressed concern regarding the slow pace of verification however, including Project Support Learners Zambia’s (PSLZ) Livingstone District Coordinator Nyambe Mutete. Mutete has warned that it may result in some voters not being able to participate in the upcoming polls. 

Concerns were previously raised that following the decision to scrap the existing voters roll and create a brand new roll in just over 30 days, hundreds of thousands of citizens may find themselves unable to vote on August 12. While the ECZ had targeted registration of 9 million voters during the registration exercise it fell almost 2 million short of the target. The impartiality of the exercise has also been questioned, with the number of voters rising in areas that voted strongly for the PF in 2016, but falling in areas that voted for the opposition. The opposition UPND has been among those to call for an independent audit of the voters roll, alongside civil society actors and experts. 

While the physical inspection of the new roll will end tomorrow, Friday, voters can check some of their details have been captured and recorded correctly electronically up until 7th May, 2021. They can do this by logging in to www.eczovr.org or dialling *214#, which is free on all networks.