A DOZEN youths living with disabilities on Friday besieged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) head offices in Harare, with a petition challenging the electoral body to re-open district centres which it has allegedly closed so that people would continue to register as voters. ZEC is said to have stopped voter registration at some of its district offices and this contradicts with the new constitution which says voter registration should be a continuous process.
In their petition, the twelve youths said by halting voter registration ZEC was breaching the laws of the country.“We feel that the closure of registration centres across the country is meant to frustrate the under-registered groups of youth and people living with disabilities, and itis our prayer that your office will consider our group which has always been marginalised to be involved in the electoral processes as well as guaranteeing our right to vote because we are also citizens of this country,” the youths said in the petition.
“We are worried that when the process resumes the same challenges faced in the previous registration drives were only a “few” get registered will also recur and this willaffect the powerless young people and people with disabilities.”The group also said ZEC should provide materials which are user-friendly to disabled people when they are conducting voter education.
“We submit that there be an all-inclusive process of educating the young voters, voters with disabilities and that such education should be conducted in a non-partisan manner further noting that it should provide for the visually impaired, the illiterate voters among other,” the youths said.The aggrieved youths included Takudzwa Ruza, Paidaishe Tekede, Simbarashe Mabango, Andrew Ruwende, Kudakwashe Mukahadzi, Kelvin Taremedzwa, Kudakwashe Madayi, Authority Tshuma, Kudakwashe Ruwende, Rugare Tshuma, Kudzanai Marimba and Tichivangani.
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