Ballots Valid Without a Cross if Voter Intent Is Clear, Says ECZ

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has reaffirmed that a ballot paper will be counted as valid even when it is not marked with a cross, so long as the voter's choice is clear.

In a statement issued on 10 August 2026, Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro said the Commission had noted "misleading statements" from some stakeholders, including political party leaders, regarding how ballots should be marked and what makes them valid.

Kasaro pointed to Section 60(6)(b) of the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016, which requires voters to mark the ballot "in a way that indicates the candidate the voter wishes to vote for." The law, he stressed, does not name the cross as the only acceptable mark.

The Commission also cited Regulation 46(2)(b) of the Electoral Process (General) Regulations, 2016, which provides that a ballot marked otherwise than by a cross "shall not by that reason be invalid," provided the voter's intention is clear and the mark does not identify the voter.

"Voters are instructed to use a cross, but the absence of a cross does not, by itself, make a ballot invalid. What matters is whether the voter's intention is clear," the statement read.

The ECZ noted that this has been standard practice since 2006 and is "neither a new position nor a new interpretation of the law." It urged all stakeholders to share accurate information and avoid confusing voters ahead of the 13 August general election.