With just under a month remaining until the upcoming general elections, one of the most common questions being raised during the final phase before polling day is whether a misplaced voter’s registration card can be replaced at this stage to enable someone to vote.
The short answer is no, as the 2026 Register of Voters has already been finalised.
Section 7 of the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016 mandates the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to conduct continuous voter registration. Services offered at voter registration centres include, among others:
- New registrations
- Name changes
- Polling station transfers
- Replacement of voter’s cards
- Removal of deceased voters
However, administrative cut-off dates do apply, and the Electoral Commission is empowered to establish deadlines, for example, to allow for the inspection and final certification of the official Register of Voters during general election cycles. During this period, ECZ stops replacing voter’s cards at the conclusion of the physical provisional register inspection phase.
In 2025, the Commission conducted a mass voter registration exercise across the country. The initial period ran from 13 October to 11 November 2025, including weekends, and gave voters who had lost their voter’s cards, relocated, or needed to update their details for any other reason the opportunity to do so. A 15-day extension was then granted, running from 12 to 26 November 2025. Following this exercise, the Provisional Register of Voters was compiled.
In accordance with the powers explicitly vested in ECZ by the Electoral Process (Amendment) Act No. 12 of 2026 to determine the period for inspection of the Provisional Register of Voters, online inspection of the register was conducted from 22 February to 8 March 2026. However, this online inspection, provided for under the Electoral Process (Amendment) Act, was strictly for the verification of voter registration details. Any required changes had to be made during the physical inspection period.
Physical inspection of the Provisional Register initially ran from 2 to 8 March 2026, in accordance with the revised inspection period of fourteen days under Section 5 of the Electoral Process (Amendment) Act. It was briefly extended by two days to 10 March. During this physical inspection period, citizens could visit polling stations and other designated centres for services including polling station transfers, change of details, and the replacement of lost or damaged voter’s cards. This was the final opportunity to access such services ahead of the 2026 general elections.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia finalised and officially certified the 2026 Register of Voters on 30 April 2026. Consequently, no further modifications can be made to the register for the upcoming elections.
Without a physical voter’s card, it is not possible to participate in the upcoming elections, as every voter must present both a National Registration Card (NRC) and a valid physical voter’s card at their registered polling station to cast a ballot on election day.