New Tools for Better Elections: Citizen Technologies and Electoral Accountability

NOTE: We have closed applications for this event at this time. If you have previously received an invitation, there is still time to RSVP - please use the RSVP form above to let us know that you will be attending. If you were not invited but still would like to convince us that you must attend, please send us an email to ICT_Events@ndi.org with your qualifications. Thank you!

New technologies are significantly improving the ways in which citizens safeguard their elections, improve the speed and impact of existing monitoring methodologies, create opportunities for new approaches to election oversight, and mitigate potentials for electoral related violence.

As citizen technologies become more widely available, technologists working outside of the democracy and elections fields are making positive contributions to these areas. This is an opportune moment to connect the efforts of practitioners and technologists in order to better realize the promise of new technologies in election monitoring and electoral accountability.

On February 26, NDI and MobileActive will convene leading practitioners in election monitoring, and technologists who are building new tools for electoral oversight, as well as representatives of democracy assistance agencies, academics and policymakers.

Together, we will define the current challenges to and opportunities for effective citizen oversight related to elections.  We will establish a shared agenda for developing new citizen technologies and integrating them into election monitoring efforts.

Agenda

8:30 Registration and Coffee

9:00 Welcome and Overview

Why We Observe: Views from the Elections Field

Meeting the Challenge: The Tech Perspective

10:00 World Café Collaborative Brainstorming Exercise

11:30 Breakout Sessions

Mapping and Visualizing Election Information

Crowdsourcing and Citizen Reporting in Elections

(Other sessions to be determined at the event)

1:00 Lunch + Ignite Talks

2:30 Breakout Sessions 2*

Observing Elections in Repressive Regimes

 Evaluating and Projecting Election Results

(Other sessions to be determined at the event)

 4:00 Breakout Sessions 3

Telling the Story: Alternative and Social Media

Mobile Data Collection

(Other sessions to be determined at the event)

 5:30 Final Circle, closing

6:00 Adjourn

Apply

Individuals will be recruited by invitation and through a competitive application. Please apply above to participate.  We will ask you several questions in a short survey to ascertain your qualifications.  We expect participation to be competitive, so please give us as much information as you think is necessary!

We look forward to reviewing your application. Thank you!

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Logistics

Parking for the event can be found in separate lots:  a) 10th St between F & G, b) 11th St between G & H.  Regarding the weather, we are moving forward with the event.  In the unlikely chance that the Federal Government is closed tomorrow, we will postpone the activities.

We encourage all to join us for happy hour to celebrate your great ideas after we adjourn at 6pm.  We’ll walk to Vapiano’s, which is at 623 H Street NW.