The Elections Resource Centre (ERC) says thousands of potential voters, who are squatters or of no fixed abode without proof of residence are being disenfranchised as they cannot register to vote.
ERC programmes manager Solomon Bobosibunu said that there are thousands of people, including vendors, who do not have national identity cards and, therefore, could not register to vote.
He said this while addressing delegates at the launch of the enhanced informal sector voter mobilisation and advocacy initiative campaign in Masvingo on Monday.
The campaign was organised by the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET).
Bobosibunu called upon Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to make it easier for all Zimbabweans to register to vote even those without proof of residence. He said:
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) officers at registration centres should commission whoever would have come to register without proof of residence or allow lawyers to commission such people so that registration is not cumbersome, otherwise some voters would be deprived of their constitutional rights.
Most youths and vendors do not have proof of residence. There are quite a significant number of voters shut out. Registration should be open to every Zimbabwean.
We are also engaging lawyers to commission such people, but we hope ZEC officers should do that as well to those of no fixed aboard.
VISET executive director Samuel Wadzai said they are working with other organisations to facilitate members to get the documentation for them to register to vote.
He said VISET would offer shuttle services to vendors intending to vote throughout the country.