High Court rules against e-voters’ roll

Zim Now Writer

The High Court has rejected a bid by Member of Parliament Allan Markham to compel Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release the voters’ roll in electronic format.

In an extempore ruling, Justice Never Katiyo declined the request by Harare North MP Mr Markham on security concerns.

Justice Katiyo dimissed the suit for lack of merit and also found Markaham’s application premature:

“The applicant approached the court prematurely before exhausting the available remedies. Also the Electoral Act mandates ZEC to safeguard the electronic voters roll. To say 58 days wait (for a printed version) is unreasonable period cannot be understood.

“The parties were still engaging up to the time the application was launched thereby violating the doctrine for ripeness.

“Further the delimitation report is already finalised so this issue has been overtaken by events.”

Mr Markham sued ZEC in October last year demanding the provision of the voters’ roll in the electronic format arguing that the 58 days ZEC said it needed to produce a printed copy was excessive.

Markham argued that between February and April last year, he analysed an electronic copy of the voters roll prepared and released by ZEC before the by-elections that took place in March 2022 and noticed irregularities.

He said he wrote to ZEC illustrating various anomalies on the voters roll, but was informed that the electoral body was in the process of producing an updated version.

ZEC has said it will print the voters’ rolls on request for a fee that any voter has the right to walk into ZEC offices and access the roll for free.