More than one hundred tendered ballot papers were issued to voters by some Presiding Officers during Wednesday’s election across the country.
Chief Electoral Officer Jasper Highwood Anisi confirmed this during the election general update Thursday afternoon.
He clarified that the Electoral Commission has decided to validate these tendered ballot papers.
“When the polling stations opened yesterday (Wednesday), we found that some presiding officers issued tendered ballot papers instead of using ordinary ones. However, the Commission has decided to validate these tendered ballot papers.”
“Instead of penalising the voters, we have chosen to count them because they are of the same facet as the ordinary ballot papers,” CEO Anisi said.
When asked about which polling stations, constituencies, or provinces this incident occurred in, Anisi stated that this information will be disclosed once all ballot boxes are opened.
“We are documenting details from every ballot box at the counting centres across the country,” said CEO Jasper Highwood Anisi.
He added that 25 ballot papers were issued to every polling station in the country. SIBC News understands a tender ballot paper can only be used when someone has voted using another person’s name. Presiding officers would issue the tendered ballot paper and then place it in a tendered ballot paper envelope.
