ECZ Launches Online Voter Verification Platform as Election Preparations Gather Pace

The Electoral Commission of Zambia has launched a new online platform enabling registered voters to verify their details ahead of the August 13 general elections, in the latest step in the Commission's drive to deliver a credible and transparent electoral process.

The Online Voter Verification portal, accessible at ovr.elections.org.zm, allows citizens to check their registration information by entering their Voter Card Number or National Registration Card (NRC) number along with their mobile phone number. Voters whose details are correct can confirm them directly through the platform, while those who identify errors — including incorrect polling station, constituency, NRC number, names, or gender — can flag the discrepancies for correction.

The launch coincides with the inspection period for the provisional voters' register, which opened for online inspection on 9 February and runs until 23 February, with physical inspection at registration centres having begun on 17 February. The final voters' register is scheduled for certification on 30 April.

ECZ Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis has consistently emphasised the Commission's commitment to openness and inclusivity throughout the electoral cycle. "We want to have transparent elections in 2026," Zaloumis told stakeholders, adding that the Commission's reforms were designed to improve the integrity of the process ahead of polling day.

The platform represents a significant expansion of ECZ's use of digital tools in the electoral cycle. The Commission first introduced an online pre-registration portal in September 2025, which allowed first-time voters to begin the registration process digitally before completing biometric capture in person during the mass registration exercise that ran across all 156 constituencies from October to November last year. ECZ targeted 3.5 million new registrations during that exercise.

The August elections will be Zambia's second general election since the 2021 transition of power and the first to be held under the amended constitutional framework adopted through the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 13 of 2025. The amended constitution provides for 70 new constituencies, the boundaries of which are currently being determined through a delimitation exercise launched by ECZ on 7 February. Stakeholder consultations across all 116 districts are scheduled from 16 to 20 February, with the new constituency boundaries to be published in the Government Gazette by 15 April and taking effect on 15 May, following the dissolution of Parliament.

The compressed election timetable has drawn scrutiny from some quarters. The People's Pact has questioned the revised roadmap, with Vice President for Strategy Peter Sinkamba raising concerns about the absence of clear delimitation timelines and arguing that the compressed schedule between consultations and voter register inspections risks undermining credibility. The alliance has a petition pending before the Constitutional Court.

Under the ECZ roadmap, nominations for presidential, parliamentary, mayoral, and council candidates are set for 18 and 22 May, with a 12-week campaign period leading up to polling day on 13 August. Results are scheduled for declaration within four days.

The Commission has urged all registered voters to take advantage of the online verification platform and the remaining physical inspection period to confirm their details are accurate before the register is finalised.

Voters can verify their details at ovr.elections.org.zm.