Our Work: Democracy and Governance
OneWorld’s real-time election monitoring platform is empowering civil society in some of the world’s most fragile democracies. Our live-updating data platform provides the information they need to respond quickly to electoral faults and hold officials to account for fair and credible elections.
And recognizing that democratic foundations are built before and after Election Day too, OneWorld’s holistic approach also includes:
- A cross-media civic education tool: citizens can get answers to their questions by smartphone app, SMS, phone call, email, or Facebook;
- A media-training and media-monitoring component;
- Long-term observation: monitors report on pre-election processes (registration, campaign events, etc.) and post-election activities (misuse of funds, local council meetings, incidents of violence, etc.)
- An “Ask Your MP” tool that connects citizens directly to their elected officials by SMS, email, or Facebook.
The platform merges age-old monitoring approaches with the latest data collection and analysis tools and techniques. Election monitors send their observations by text message (SMS) or smartphone app; the messages are instantly de-coded, verified, aggregated and published. Easy-to-read charts, maps, and spreadsheets give civil society leaders a real-time picture of what’s happening around the country at the local, regional, and national levels. Some data is public, for the whole world to see, while sensitive data is kept offline for only trusted partners to use.
