Another supplementary registration to gobble P65m
Spira Tlhankane | Monday March 11, 2024 06:00
The first supplementary voters’ registration is currently underway and will end on March 15, and there were already fears for high incidence of voter apathy looking at the low turnout in the first voters’ registration.
The supplementary registration will be allocated the second largest share of the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) development budget which is approximately 17.4% of the total budget. Compared to the ongoing supplementary registration where eligible voters can only register to vote at the office of the principal registration officer for the constituency, the next supplementary registration will be conducted at all polling stations, both locally and abroad.
The general voters’ registration exercise was conducted from the January 5 to February 3, 2024 and only 734,781 Batswana registered as voters in all the local polling stations, whilst 1,643 registered abroad. This as a result was worrying statistics as the 736,424 registered voters represented about 54% of the target, which is approximately 1.3 million.
When the IEC set February 26 as the start of supplementary registration few weeks back, the Commission admitted that more work remained to be done to achieve the target and further swore to do everything within its power to achieve it. The registration according to the electoral body is expected will attract long queues of those interested in registering to vote in the 2024 General Election slated for October. There have been worries that many eligible voters no longer see the point in voting and this has led to the low number of people who have registered to vote.
Although historically Botswana does not have a long-standing and deep-seated problem with voter disengagement, politicians from both the opposition and ruling party are worried about the numbers this time around. With the IEC having been the obvious place to start the blame game when it comes to these low turnouts, legislators in Parliament approved the Commission’s budget presented by the State President minister Kabo Morwaeng. Morwaeng admitted in his speech that voter apathy remains one of challenges the IEC encounter.
He indicated that the Commission has developed a stakeholder engagement plan, in which different stakeholders will be engaged with a view to get a good number of Batswana to participate in electoral processes. He said at the conclusion of the ongoing supplementary voters’ registration exercise, the IEC will reflect on the total outcome of the registration exercise to decide on whether or not to hold another supplementary registration. Worried about Batswana’s attitude towards elections, Lentsweletau-Mmopane Member of Parliament (MP), Nnaniki Makwinja expressed in Parliament this week that as they go around they have realised that many people do not understand what voting means. “Motswana still doesn’t understand what voting is. Someone would not vote because they were not given the COVID-19 food relief package. “Someone would not register to vote because they do not know the name of prospective candidates yet. Someone would not vote because they have struggled to be allocated land. It is vital to reach out to people and teach them the importance of voting,” she said.
Makwinja indicated that every Motswana has a right to vote and it is their civic duty to participate in the electoral process. She said Batswana are denying themselves the right to vote people who will represent them in government. He said public education on voting is vital and therefore funds are needed to execute this.
For his part Goodhope-Mabule, MP Eric Molale, said as they approve the budget one of the things the IEC needs to improve on is to build confidence in voters. He pointed out that it was important to educate people about the first registration and the supplementary registration and further target to educate the youth who are about to reach the legal age of voting. Molale said people’s view that their vote won’t make a different in a democratic setup is wrong. He also emphasised that people disengage from registering to vote because of the lack of knowledge.
“When someone reaches the polls, they are building the nation and that one vote can determine the direction of democracy,” he said. He admitted that the first registration was too quiet and leaders had forgotten that they should encourage people to register. Molale added that there should be a rigorous publicity around registration and that people should be informed and educated on the importance of registering to vote.