www.electionin.org

Organization : Independent Electoral Commission
Facility : Voter Registration
Country : Botswana

Voter Registration Form : http://www.iec.gov.bw/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=115
Home Page : http://www.iec.gov.bw/

Registration In Botswana :
Registration in Botswana is carried out in stages :
1.General voter registration – conducted in all polling stations, over a specific period.

2.Supplementary voter registration – conducted to give those who did not get an opportunity to register during general registration to do so.

Related / Similar Facility : Botswana Patriotic Front Party Join BPF Online

Requirements for registration :
** A citizen of Botswana.
** Is 18 yrs of age and above.
** Is in possession of a valid identity card (Omang).

External Registration :
** The IEC has established 25 external polling stations spread in 7 African countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and 9 other foreign countries (Australia, Belgium, China, India, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and USA).

** These polling stations are in countries where Botswana has established Embassies and Consulates.
** All the Embassies at the mentioned countries are polling stations, except for South Africa where a number of the additional polling stations are outside the locations of Botswana’s Embassy in Pretoria and the two Consulate General offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
** These polling stations are established in accordance with Section 5 (3) of the Electoral Act Cap: 02:09.
** The external registration exercise is conducted within the specified period appointed for voter registration in Botswana and in the same manner.

Voting Process :
At your polling station during election day:
** Voting takes place from 06:30 in the morning to 7o’clock in the evening.
** A voter can only vote at the polling station at which s/he is registered.
** The polling officers are there to assist you in the process of voting.
** There will also be polling agents representing political parties.

Screening :
** Upon entering the polling station, the voter presents his/ her identity (Omang) card and registration card to the Presiding Officer who will confirm that the details or particulars of the voter correlate with the information in the voters roll, that the voter has not already voted at that election or that he has not become disqualified from voting.

** The name of the voter is called and crossed out on the voters roll.
** The voter will go to a table seated polling officers to get a ballot paper for electing a Member of Parliament.
** A mark shall be made on the copy of the voters roll against the name of the voter to show that s/he has been issued with a ballot paper.
** The voter’s registration card shall also be initialled and dated by the presiding officer at the back.
** The Presiding Officer shall then issue the voter with a ballot paper.

In the polling booth :
** A voter shall go into the polling booth where he/she shall secretly mark the ballot paper and fold it to conceal his/her vote, and put the ballot paper so folded up into the ballot box in the presence of the Presiding Officer.
** The voter proceeds to the next table with Polling oOficers to get another ballot paper for electing a Councillor.
** Again, the voter shall go into the polling booth, and secretly mark the ballot paper.
** S/he shall then deposit it into the second ballot box, and leave the polling station.
** The Presiding Officer or Polling Officers shall not give any assistance or explanation to a voter other than to direct the voter to a polling booth where he/she may vote; informing the voter of the nature of the notice posted inside the polling booth; and informing him/her of the procedure the voter is to follow after entering the polling booth.

A person voting outside Botswana shall be issued with a ballot paper and ballot envelope, and the name of the constituency under which that person has been registered, shall then be written or stamped on it. The voter then enters the polling booth to cast his/her vote. S/he shall then put the ballot paper into the ballot envelope and seal it. S/he shall then deposit it into the ballot box provided

** Where a voter turns up to vote and he/she is objected to by a candidate, the Presiding Officer will cause both of them to make declaration of oath, and the objected voter will cast a vote. But against the voter’s name on the election roll, the words “protested against”, in terms of section 54 of the Electoral Act, shall be written.
** In the case of a voter incapacitated from voting by blindness or other physical cause, the Presiding Officer, in the presence of the person with whose assistance the voter came to cast his vote, shall cause the vote of a voter to be marked on a ballot paper in the manner directed by the voter, and the ballot paper to be placed in the ballot box.

Closing of Poll :
** When the hour for closing of poll is reached (1900 hrs), the Presiding Officer will declare that no more persons will be admitted.
** Only persons already inside the polling station or any area set aside for waiting voters shall be permitted to vote.
** When all persons have voted, the ballot box is then locked. Party agents can write down the number of the locking device, if they so wish.
** After all election materials have been packaged, the ballot box is then taken to the counting centre