ECZ URGED TO URGENTLY ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO VOTER REGISTRATION CENTRES FACED BY PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

The Disability Rights Watch is calling on the Electoral Commission of Zambia-ECZ- to immediately eliminate barriers to voter registration centers faced by persons with disabilities following commencement of preparations for the 2026 general elections.

Organization Programmes Coordinator Bruce Chooma says the requirement to facilitate inclusive voter registration is a matter of human rights and the commission must work on making the centers physically accessible and train their staff and or agents on how to mobilize and handle persons with disabilities.

Mr. Chooma says his organization is concerned that with the onset of the rains, access to many registration centers especially in rural areas will be very challenging especially to persons with disabilities, hence the need to create an enabling environment for their meaningful participation.

He has since reiterated the call to the ECZ to be recording persons with disabilities they register by disability categories on order for the commission to have disaggregated registration data for persons with disabilities, including gender, age and type of disability classification in their registration database.