Zimbabwean Civil Society Explores New Voter Registration Methods

Country: Zimbabwe
March 1, 2017
News
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), a pro-democracy coalition of 31 non-governmental organizations, recently observed Kenya’s updated Mass Voter Registration Process to examine how the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) system performed. The BVR system is an information communication technology (ICT) tool used to support voter participation and improve public confidence in election results. The system uses a “camera, laptop, [and] fingerprint scanner,” to capture, organize, and verify pertinent information about voter identity to prevent voter fraud.

ZESN noted that Kenyans experienced early success with the BVR system, but did encounter some technical issues such as server crashes at 52% of the polling stations during the 2013 Presidential elections. The losing candidate, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, unsuccessfully challenged the results based on these malfunctions.

ZESN will use the BVR system to prepare for Zimbabwe’s elections in 2018. They hope to use the BVR system to shorten wait times at voter registration queues, increase voter participation, and improve the public’s trust in election results. Read ZESN’s “Lessons from Kenya” article to learn more about BVR systems.