The franchise

(1) A person who— ( a ) is a citizen of Botswana or of any other country to which this section is applied by Parliament; ( b ) has attained the age of 18 years; and ( c ) has either resided in Botswana for a continuous period of at least 12 months immediately preceding the date on which he or she applies for registration as a voter or was born in Botswana and is domiciled in Botswana on the date on which he or she applies for registration as a voter, shall, unless he or she is disqualified for registration as a voter under any law, be entitled, upon his or her making application in that behalf at such time and in such manner as may be prescribed by any law, to be registered as a voter for the purposes of elections of Elected Members of the National Assembly, and no other person may be so registered. (2) A person who has not continuously resided in Botswana for the period mentioned in paragraph ( c ) of subsection (1) of this section but has during the whole period retained his or her residence (or if he or she has more than one residence, his or her principal residence) in Botswana and has been absent therefrom for some temporary purpose only shall be deemed for the purposes of the said paragraph ( c ) to have been resident in Botswana during such absence. (3) A person shall be entitled to be registered as a voter— ( a ) in the constituency in which he or she has his or her residence, or if he or she has more than one residence in Botswana in the constituency in which he or she has his or her principal residence; or ( b ) in the case of a person who does not have a residence in Botswana but is able to register in person, in the constituency in which he or she last resided, or in which he or she was born; or ( c ) in the case of a person who is not resident in Botswana and is unable to register in person, at such place as may be prescribed by Parliament and registration at such place shall be treated as registration in the constituency in which he or she last resided, or in which he or she was born in Botswana. (4) A person shall be entitled to be registered as a voter in one constituency only. (5) Every person who is registered in any constituency as a voter for the purposes of elections of the Elected Members of the National Assembly shall, unless he or she is disqualified by Parliament from voting in such elections on the grounds of his or her having been convicted of an offence in connection with the elections or on the grounds of his or her having been reported guilty of such an offence by the court trying an election petition or on the grounds of his or her being in lawful custody at the date of the election, be entitled so to vote in that constituency in accordance with the provisions made by or under a law in that behalf; and no other person may so vote.