15 Oct 2018

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has cautioned the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) about names and contact numbers of electorate captured after registration, as it is not provided for by the law.

PAC members are of the view that the form that captures the full names of people who have registered to vote and their phone numbers was more prone to malice than good.

They said IEC should not under estimate the exercise as it may lead to unfairness in the system as the information might find way into political party databases, who may in turn use it to their advantage over others.

They said the information might be used for any other mischievous purpose intended to benefit some political parties over others, especially that the registration exercise was conducted by short term employees who might not be aware of the consequences of sharing such information.

PAC members said it was possible that some sub-groups within the political strata may use such information for their benefit

However, IEC secretary, Ms Keireng Zuze said the introduction of the form that captures voters’ contact details was an administrative exercise by IEC for purposes of contacting voters by the IEC in case of any eventualities such as the one that happened in Francistown recently whereby a registration book was stolen at Botsalano Ward during a house break-in incident, as they were able to contact the affected people to re-register.

“This is done in order to make sure that no eligible voter is excluded during election time as you know that every vote counts,” said Ms Zuze.

She said IEC was an independent body that is non-partisan, adding that the organisation would try by all means to keep their records safe.

Ms Zuze also confirmed to PAC that IEC was working towards instituting a risk management plan framework for safeguarding information that deals with voters and elections.

Asked as to what was used by IEC to determine how much was spent on each citizen with regards to preparation on national elections, she said there was currently nothing in place.

This was asked against the backdrop that the registration was going at a snail’s pace, something that could be attributed to lack of voter education.

She said currently IEC only used media platforms and workshops with relevant stakeholders to reach out to eligible voters.

Ms Zuze further informed the committee that the 2019 elections would be carried out as per the dictates of the Electoral Act.

In this regard, she said following completion of registration, the electoral commission would decide as to when the supplementary exercise would be carried as it is provided for in the act.

She however said its duration would be determined by number of people left out that were due for registration, especially those that would be turning 18 years. 

Ms Zuze further stated that the 10-week registration exercise was made longer than the previous years because initially it was not clear whether the Electoral Amendment Act of 2016 would be used or not pending enactment of the new law that was awaiting commencement date. ENDS