Harare - As political parties in Zimbabwe continue to struggle with chaotic and often violent candidate selection processes in primary elections, some reform advocates are eyeing ranked-choice voting (RCV), a system gaining traction in parts of the United States as a potential tool to foster broader consensus and reduce intra-party divisions.
But experts and election observers warn that deep-seated institutional weaknesses, low voter literacy, and resource constraints could render the system unworkable in the country’s polarized political landscape.
Ranked-choice voting, also known as instant-runoff voting, allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference on a single ballot.
If no candidate secures a majority of first-choice votes, the lowest-polling candidate is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed according to voters’ next preferences until a majority winner emerges.
Proponents argue it could address Zimbabwe’s primary election woes, where factionalism, intimidation, and “ghost” candidates have marred processes in parties like ZANU-PF and the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
The opposition CCC in its last primaries used the Bereka Mwana approach, which required voters to queue behind their preferred candidates. It was largely unpopular.
In theory, RCV could encourage parties to field candidates with wider appeal within their ranks, mitigating the winner-takes-all dynamics that fuel violence and disputes during primaries.
Zimbabwe’s 2023 harmonised elections highlighted persistent challenges: disputed voter rolls, intimidation, and low turnout (around 69%), amid accusations of bias by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Advocates suggest piloting RCV in party primaries or local council elections, where multiple candidates often split votes along regional, ethnic, or factional lines.
This mirrors how RCV in places like Maine and Alaska in the U.S. aims to reduce spoiler effects and negative campaigning.
In Zimbabwe, it could theoretically incentivize candidates to court second and third preferences across divides, potentially lowering the temperature in bitterly contested internal polls that have sometimes involved physical confrontations or court battles.
Some electoral reform discussions, including recent public hearings on constitutional amendments, have focused on enhancing representation and reducing violence associated with direct presidential and parliamentary votes.
While those proposals lean toward other changes, such as extended terms or altered selection methods, RCV could complement efforts to build more inclusive processes if introduced with safeguards.
Critics, however, contend that RCV’s complexity makes it ill-suited for Zimbabwe’s realities.
Voter education remains a persistent challenge: many rural voters, who form the bulk of the electorate, have limited formal education, and past biometric voter registration drives exposed gaps in public understanding and trust.
Implementing a system requiring voters to rank multiple candidates could lead to high rates of invalid or “exhausted” ballots, disproportionately affecting less literate or marginalized groups, as seen in some U.S. studies on minority voter impacts.
Political Commentator, Douglas Moyo says Zimbabwe’s elections already face criticism over opaque vote tabulation, delayed results, and questions about ZEC independence and introducing RCV would worsen the situation.
"RCV demands sophisticated counting software, trained poll workers, and transparent redistribution processes - resources in short supply in a country with strained budgets and history of disputed tallies," he said.
Moyo added that upfront costs for equipment upgrades and nationwide education campaigns would strain the electoral body, already reliant on international support.
ZANU-PF, dominant since independence, has shown limited appetite for reforms that could dilute its control, while opposition parties grapple with their own internal fractures.
Entrenched patronage networks and allegations of state interference in elections suggest that technical changes like RCV might be manipulated or undermined without broader reforms to judicial independence, media freedom, and voter roll integrity.
International examples underscore the risks. While RCV has worked in established democracies with high literacy and robust institutions, its application in developing or polarized contexts has been limited, and studies highlight potential for unintended disenfranchisement or contested outcomes when results diverge from first-preference plurality.
Analysts say meaningful progress on primaries and elections requires foundational fixes first - transparent ZEC operations, credible voter registration, and reduced political violence — before experimenting with advanced mechanisms like RCV.“
Any new system must be built on trust,” one Harare-based election observer noted. “Without that, ranked voting could just add another layer of confusion and suspicion to an already fragile process.”
As Zimbabwe prepares for future polls amid ongoing constitutional debates, the debate over candidate selection methods is likely to intensify - with RCV offering theoretical appeal but facing steep practical and political mountains.