single-member constituencies. Originally, voting occurred with disks that corresponded to various candidates based on color. Then, in 1999, the national elections switched to using paper ballots. Regarding voter safety, 89% of Afrobarometer survey respondents expressed that they were able to vote freely without external pressure. Elections for the Botswana National Assembly occur every 5 years, with the last election occurring in 2019. For some political parties, elections for MPs are preceded by primaries. However, hosting primaries is not a legal obligation in Botswana. Additionally, there is currently no gender quota system for elections to the National Assembly. In a recent survey, support for a gender quota system was nearly evenly split. 48% approved by 47% disapproved. In order to be a candidate for MP, a person must be 18 years old, registered to vote, and also a citizen of Botswana. They also must be able to read and speak English. Along with this, there are circumstances in which a person can be disqualified from office. For example, a person cannot be bankrupt, labeled insane, or sentenced to imprisonment longer than six months. They also cannot actively be either a member of Ntlo ya Dikgosi or a public official that oversees elections. Since 1965, the BDP has won a majority of seats in the National Assembly in every election. Yet, even though the BDP has received consistent support (especially from rural constituencies), there is evidence that elections are growing more competitive over time. Over the course of the 2000’s, the number of competitive constituencies increased. Along with this, the BDP has been securing more of its seats through pluralities instead of majorities in recent elections. In 2014, for the first time in the nation’s history, opposition parties won a majority of the total votes. Then, during the 2019 elections, former President Ian Khama switched loyalty and endorsed the opposition party Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). Despite both of these notable events, however, the BDP has always maintained its majority of seats in the National Assembly. In the 2019 elections, the BDP won 29 seats and the UDC was well behind with only 13 seats. Three of the four remaining seats went to the Botswana Patriotic Front, while the other went to the Alliance for Progressives. Regarding voter participation, there were 900,000 voters who were registered for the 2019 elections. Additionally, the 2019 Afrobarometer survey showed that 63% of people - 64%