Sudanese Elections: Voters Can Report Fraud With Text Message System

In an unprecedented effort to make the current elections in Sudan more transparent, voters there can report instances of election fraud through a mobile SMS text message system. The initiative is a joint effort by Sudanese citizen groups, mobile operators and the U.S. State Department.

"Election monitors or citizens can text in any election-related problems: missing ballots, polls closing too early, acts of voter intimidation," said Katie Jacobs Stanton, new media director at the State Department. "We want this to be a free and fair election."

Sudan's first multiparty vote in 24 years started Sunday, even though opposition parties announced two weeks ago they were boycotting over claims of a rigged election.

"It is unfortunate that they decided to do so," Seif Yasin, press counselor at the Sudan Embassy, said in an e-mail. "However, it is important to note that those who initially submitted their candidacy remain on the ballot and citizens can actually vote for them. So this matter is entirely in the voters hands."

The vote, which ends Tuesday, is likely to confirm the 21-year rule of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Bashir is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, which alleges he was behind mass murder and rape in Darfur.

After the first day of elections, 106 SMS text message reports were posted online. There were also 52 reports directly filed online. Each reported incident is broken down into one of 12 categories, including 26 reports of vote tampering and 15 reports of disturbances, including violence.

Stanton says officials are responding to some reports posted online. "Where polls might be closed," she said, "they are able to work with election monitors on the ground."

Yasin said the Sudanese Embassy welcomes this mobile effort, but encourages voters to report concerns directly to the National Elections Commission: "Web sites and various other tools will only work to enhance the transparency of the process, but it might be even more practical and constructive to channel these concerns directly to the National Elections Commission, upon whom they will have the most meaningful impact."

Despite the mobile initiative, Sudanese observer teams are calling for voting to be extended because of incorrectly cast ballots and serious polling delays. "There have been some suggestions that the elections be extended two days," Stanton said.

This is the first known program to use mobile SMS technology to monitor elections. "Our goal is: How do we leverage technology to advance our diplomatic and development goals?" Stanton said. "We want to use these modern-day tools to solve modern-day problems."

This initiative comes three months after the State Department set up a program for Americans to text 90999 to donate to relief efforts in Haiti. The program was the biggest mobile donation campaign ever, raising $32 million in one week.

"It was a great example of what government can do," Stanton said.

Coming off the success of that initiative, the State Department worked with the Sudan Institute for Research and Policy, Asmaa Society for Development and technical partners eMoksha.org and Ushahidi.com to set up a similar template in Sudan.

Stanton added that the State Department would try to implement this technology in other elections abroad as well, noting, "If this can work in Sudan, it can work anywhere."

Click play below to watch Alec Ross, the senior adviser on innovation to the secretary of state, discuss the State Department's efforts to use mobile technology to increase transparency in the Sudanese elections: