u/ayookip

It's finally here. Tomorrow, Thursday 13 August 2026, Zambia goes to the polls to elect the President, Members of the National Assembly, Mayors/Council Chairpersons and Ward Councillors. ~8.78 million of us are registered, across 13,529 polling stations in 226 constituencies. This is the first election under the new Constitution (Amendment) Act No. 13 of 2025, which adds 40 proportional-representation seats (20 women, 15 youth, 5 persons with disabilities) on top of the 226 constituency seats.

This thread is made with the intention of helping guide some of the community. Read it, share it, and vote.

Quick facts

- Polls open 06:00 and close 18:00. If you're in the queue by 18:00, you still vote.

- One person, one vote, secret ballot. No one should ever know who you voted for.

- Counting starts at your polling station as soon as the polls close — party agents, observers and media are there to watch it.

🎒 Before you leave

You MUST bring both:

1. Your green National Registration Card (NRC)
2. Your voter's card

You must vote at the polling station shown on your voter's card, and your name must appear in that station's register — no register, no vote. Not sure where you're registered? Check your voter's card, or verify online on the ECZ portal: ECZ Place for checking results and stuff. Full polling-station lists are on here.

At the polling station (step by step)

1. Queue up with everyone else and wait your turn. Follow the rules of the station.
2. Table 1 – Check-in: Show your NRC and voter's card. Staff check them against the register. No NRC + no voter card = no vote.
3. Table 2 – Inking: Your right-hand thumb gets marked with indelible ink (so your vote can't be duplicated). You're issued the Presidential ballot paper.
4. Table 3 – More ballots: You'll also get ballot papers for National Assembly and Local Government (Mayor/Council Chairperson and Councillor).
5. Mark your choice in the box of the candidate/party you want. Do NOT write your name — ballots are secret. Fold it and drop it in the sealed ballot box.

Made a mistake on a ballot? Ask — you can get a replacement (spoilt ballot).

Special needs

Blind/visually impaired voters, the illiterate, physically disabled, the aged and expectant mothers can ask a trusted relative or friend (registered at the same polling station) to assist them — the Presiding Officer can also help. Note: one assistant can only help ONE voter. So if you're asked, do it properly.

❌ Don't

- Don't take photos of your ballot or use your phone in the polling booth.

- Don't campaign/wear party colours too close to the station — and no bribery (goods like mealie meal, sugar or salt to "persuade" voters is an electoral offence).

- Don't stay loitering at the station after voting.

- Don't spread unverified "results" — only ECZ-declared numbers count.

📊 After the polls close

Counting happens at each polling station, then totals go to constituency tally centres, then to the National Results Centre in Lusaka where ECZ announces presidential results live. Remember the new rule: a presidential candidate needs more than 50% of valid votes to win outright, otherwise a run-off happens within 37 days between the top two. Patience is a virtue — report on the sub stays civil tonight.

Diaspora Zambians

Right now, out-of-country voting is not allowed registering and voting has to happen inside Zambia. The good news: the law actually provides for diaspora voting and the ECZ has said it's exploring implementation for future elections (source: trust me bro). Not this one though, sorry. Keep pushing for it from abroad, and show up at home in 2031 if the world is kind. For those living abroad — reminders for one day only. This is for the friends and family, not the national ID card office. Wait, let me re-read this part... yeah: no diaspora voting this year. Period. May the dream of voting from London/Joburg/Manchester/Qatar become real one day.

Subreddit rules for election day and the subsequent days until all results are announced

- Political discussion is fine but keep it civil. No hate, no insults.

- No posting unverified "leaks" or fake figures , if it's not on an official ECZ channel, it's a rumour. That includes all the WhatsApp forwards. Trust only elections.org.zm and their official accounts.

- Beat reporters can post live updates in this thread. Looking into seeing how to potentially have a live counter if possible that is if ECZ has an active counter no promises.

- Report anything that breaks the rules instead of arguing.

Go vote, Zambia. Make your mark — the country is counting on you.