Parliament has been told that a recently released National Voter Apathy Study has indicated there is inadequate political and electoral education amongst citizens.
As a result, when addressing the National Assembly, Minister of State President Kabo Morwaeng revealed that the report has recommended more funding for the electoral body to fund voter education. “The study, therefore, recommends that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) be provided with enough resources to improve voter education and that electoral laws be reviewed to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the management of elections,” he said. The Minister added that in a bid to improve service delivery, two new offices have just been established in Hukuntsi and Charles hill.
“This development will ease pressure from the Tsabong and Ghanzi offices which were covering these places and bring electoral services closer to communities in both Ghanzi South and Kgalagadi North constituencies, a matter that has been a concern to some of us honourable colleagues,” Morwaeng said. According to the Minister, the new additions bring the total number of the IEC outstation offices to 27 across the country. He said appropriate steps are being taken by the Secretary of the IEC to resource the new offices adding that there are also efforts to bring electoral services closer to Batswana by opening two more new offices in Goodhope and Moshupa during the 2023-2024 financial year. Morwaeng further presented to Parliament that the report has indicated that some elected representatives are detached from their constituents for the most part of the five-year period and only return to their constituencies during election season.
