ABSTRACT
A 'free and fair' election honours basic human rights and constitutional freedoms, such as freedom of speech, the media and assembly. This chapter argues that there should be an accurate electoral roll to ensure that the interests of the individual and of the public are protected; qualified voters get to polling stations; ineligible voters do not vote, and to ensure that voters only vote once. The closer to the date of the actual election that an electoral roll is prepared, the more likely that accuracy will have to be sacrificed in order not to disenfranchise voters. Equally, the later a roll is elaborated, the greater the incidence of fraud. The chapter then discusses the role of boundary commissions. Further, it considers the broadcast media that play a critical role in advancing voter education by providing information to voters about how, when and where to vote.
