To enrol for the first time or get back on the roll, you can enrol online.
Electoral Commission of Zambia prints ballot papers outside Zambia because local printers have had no capacity to print ballot papers.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia is established under Article 229 of the constitution of Zambia.
Yes, the Commission is independent and not subject to the control of a person or an authority in the performance of its functions.
Votes for all types of elections are counted and added at polling stations. Thereafter, Presiding Officers physically deliver these results to the Returning Officer at the Constituency totaling centre. After all polling station results have been received by the returning officer, results are then transmitted to the National Results Centre. Upon receipt of these results at the National Results Centre, a verification process is undertaken to ensure the correctness of the results received to avoid announcing different results from those announced at constituency level. When all constituency results are received, the Commission will then go ahead and declare Presidential elections.
This is mainly due the number of voters at such polling stations. The higher the number of voters, the longer the time it will take to count and announce
Yes. The Commission can suspend or disqualify a candidate or political party that breaches the Electoral Code of Conduct. However, if any criminal offence is committed during election campaigns, such cases should be reported to law enforcement agencies.
No. These are ad hoc committees established to prevent and manage minor electoral conflict with a view of resolving conflicts in a mutual, peaceful and amicable manner. Conflict Management Committees have no legal mandate to convict electoral offenders.
The President appoints members of the Commission subject to ratification by the National Assembly. They shall serve for seven (7) years and subject to extension of another seven years.
The law provides for establishment of Commission offices in provincial Centre’s and districts. However this has not materialised due to financial constraints.
The Commission is funded from the consolidated funds of the Government of the Republic of Zambia. The law allows the Commission to organise funds from other sources such as Cooperating partners.
VEFs and Poll Staffs are recruited through media adverts outlining all the qualifications and other requirements. The candidates are subjected to interviews by independent recruitment committees comprising of Drug Enforcement Commission, Zambia Police, Anti-Corruption Commission, Civil Society Organisations, Faith Based Organisations and the council staff.
The Chief Electoral Officer (Chief Executive Officer) of the Electoral Commission of Zambia is the person in charge of the day to day administration and management of the Commission. He/ She is an ex-official member of the Commission. He/she is appointed by the Commission.
This is the process of dividing of the country into provinces, constituencies, wards and polling districts for electoral purpose.
Delimitation is done through consultative meetings at various levels with stakeholders. The resolutions of the stakeholder meetings are submitted to the Commission for consideration.
Some of the major factors that influence the delimitation process are:
Currently, there are ten (10) provinces
Currently, there are one hundred and nine (109) districts.
Currently, there are one hundred and fifty six (156) constituencies.
Currently, there are one thousand six hundred and twenty four (1624) wards.
Currently, there are seven thousand seven hundred (7700) polling stations.
Currently, the highest is Lusaka province and the lowest is North-Western province.
The registration of voters is supposed to have a closing date in order to allow for inspection and certification of the register. These two processes cannot take place while voter registration is on-going.
Voter education is conducted until the poll day except that Voter Education Facilitators are withdrawn from the field as the poll day draws near. This is done for the safety of the VEFs because, during this period, political party campaigns become intensified
This is not done on a large scale due to financial constraints. However, the Commission endeavors to undertake these activities at the voter education centre in the Lusaka Showgrounds.
The law does not provide for online voter registration
A voter’s card remains a property of the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Therefore, if a registered voter dies, the card should be surrendered to the Commission. The deceased voter’s cards are destroyed by the registration officer immediately upon being surrendered.
The Commission does not propose or endorse any candidate to contest for elections for any party. Political parties follow internal processes to adopt candidates who will then lodge their nominations with the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Therefore, the Electoral Commission of Zambia has no hand in the selection of candidates.
Campaign materials are materials that are branded in an effort to publicise a candidate or political party. Materials that constitute an offence include goods such as mealie meal, sugar, salt in order to persuade voters to vote in a particular manner or refrain from voting.
The law does not provide for e-voting and online voter registration.
The law provides for the diaspora voting and the Commission is currently exploring its implementation.
In steps;
Electoral Officers as follows
Yes. A person can ask for another ballot paper if he/she has made a mistake or marked for a candidate he/she did not intend to vote for.
Previously prisoners have not been allowed to vote. However the current constitution provides for all eligible citizens right to vote, including inmates. The Commission is currently exploring modalities on how to implement this provision of the law.
This is the process in which Returning Officers account for all the ballot papers issued to them by the Commission. They have to take stock of all unused, used and spoilt ballot papers for all the polling stations in the constituency. The summation of the mentioned ballot papers should be equal to the total number of ballot papers issued to the Returning Officer by the Commission for each type of elections. This does not constitute a recount.
Voting is an act of marking for one’s candidate of choice and casting a ballot paper into a ballot box.
Mayor is an elective head of the city or municipal council while a Council Chairperson is the head of a district council.
No. The law in Zambia provides for secrecy of a ballot, with exception of the blind who are assisted by a friend, relative or presiding officer.
Election results are moved physically from the polling station to the collation Centre (e.g. constituency totaling Centre) by the Presiding Officer, and then the Returning Officer verifies and announces the results to the public. After that the results are captured into the Result Management System (RMS) and transmitted to Electoral Commission of Zambia in Lusaka.
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia declares presidential elections results.
Returning Officers from respective constituencies.
Currently there are twenty (20) mayors;
Currently eighty nine (89) Council Chairpersons.
Currently 156 direct elected by the voters and 8 nominated by the president (164).
1624 direct elected.
Election recount involves counting of votes upon being ordered to do so by a court of law during an election petition. In this case, the recount of votes of that particular constituency is done by the registrar of the court. Votes recount can also be done at a polling station if stakeholders are not satisfied with the manner votes were counted by a Presiding Officer.
Stakeholders are individuals or institutions who have an interest or stake in the electoral process. These include;
A referendum is a type of election in which eligible citizens are given an opportunity to directly decide on an issue or matter. The decision is either to accept or reject the issue at hand.
Bill of right is a part of the constitution that outlines the fundamental entitlements and freedoms of citizens.
