HARARE - Nearly a third of registered voters on the voters roll that was used in the 2008 elections were dead, according to the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN).
ZESN, a civic organisation that seeks to promote democratic elections in Zimbabwe, in 2010 embarked on a Voters Roll Audit (VRA) to assess the quality of the voters roll. In its report, it noted that the list-to-people test showed that 27 percent of the voters on the voters roll were deceased.
The computer test revealed that 2 344 people born between 1901 and 1909, therefore aged between 101 and 110 years were on the voters roll. Nine people born between 1890 and 1900, aged between 111 and 120 years were also registered, the report says. In addition, 41 percent of the registered voters are no longer residing at the address in the voters roll.
In related evidence, Masvingo Urban MP, Tongai Matutu, shocked Parliament when he produced evidence that the voters roll used in the 2008 national elections had names of hundreds of dead people and infants who had been registered to vote, the report says.
A total of 503 people dead people appeared in the voters roll. The same voters roll had 144 202 people aged 90 years and above 115 voters below the age of 18 years (the legal voting age. The youngest was observed to be one year old. Startlingly, all the 503 dead people had a similar death of birth 1 January 1901. Hon. Matutu explained that such anomalies showed the extent to which the voters roll should represent the graveyard.
In its recommendations, ZESN said the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) should draw up a new voters roll. It says the process should be transparent and inclusive to ensure that all eligible people are registered. ZESN also called for voter education, which should include information on how relatives can help the Registrar with objections and deletions of their deceased relatives from the voters roll.
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