An Investigation into theZambian Electoral Process and its Effect on Voting in 2016 and 2021: A Case of Mulenshi and Muchinka Wards in Mansa Central Constituency

Abstract

This paper is just an investigation on the electoral process and its effect on the 2016 and 2021 general elections. The electoral process is generally a series of activities taken in the election of representatives at different levels ranging from presidential to local government. It should be noted that the electoral process is an interpretation of the electoral system which has been put in place in the constitution. The gaps in the electoral process lead to some irregularities in the elections results. In 2016 Zambia amended the constitution in which some reforms were made in the electoral process. The electoral reforms of 2016 outline the entire electoral process from legal framework up to the resolving election related disputes. Notable among them reforms are the single member majoritarian system (50% plus 1 vote) in the election of the president, the introduction of the presidential running mate and the grade twelve certificate as the minimum qualification for any political office. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to examine how the amendment of the electoral system in 2016 affected civic and voter education in Mulenshi and Muchinka. To investigate how the amendment of the electoral system in 2016 affected the voter registration in Mulenshi and Muchinka, to analyse how the amendment of the electoral system in 2016 affected voter accessibility to campaign messages before elections in Mulenshi and Muchinka and to find out \xhow the amendment of the electoral system in 2016 affected the voters’ access to election results in Mulenshi and Muchinka. In this research, the researcher used a mixed method design of both quantitative and qualitative designs. This design is chosen because it enabled the researcher to collect detailed information, descriptions and explanations from the participants based on their knowledge and experiences. The findings of the study were that the 2016 electoral reforms improved the electoral process for both the 2016 and 2021 elections. The introduction of civic education at secondary school and the use of social media have greatly improved the access to the needed information. Therefore, it has been recommended that the ECZ should utilize the social media in all the stages of the electoral process.