EU Election Monitoring Kelly Staves Charles Naut Peter Rusev

The Problem I. Technological Advisors to EU II. Macedonia wants to join the EU III. Requirements a. professional international election observer team i. placement ii. job functions b. technological mechanism for incorporating and reporting observations of grassroots, informal domestic electoral observers c. reliable, secure, easy-to-use system to monitor elections

I. Technological Advisors to EU

II. Macedonia wants to join the EU

III. Requirements

a. professional international election observer team

i. placement

ii. job functions

b. technological mechanism for incorporating and reporting observations of grassroots, informal domestic electoral observers

c. reliable, secure, easy-to-use system to monitor elections

Background Population : 2 million, 50% urban, 50% rural Languages : Macedonian (66.5%), Albanian (25.1%) Cell phone ownership :85% in urban areas, 30% in rural areas I nternet Access :40% in urban areas,20% in rural areas

Population : 2 million, 50% urban, 50% rural

Languages : Macedonian (66.5%), Albanian (25.1%)

Cell phone ownership :85% in urban areas, 30% in rural areas

I nternet Access :40% in urban areas,20% in rural areas

Overview I. Two-part elections monitoring system powered by FrontlineSMS a. Citizen's Reporting System i. Getting the word out ii. Aggregating citizen data iii. Urban exit polling b. International Observer System i. Verifying citizens' reports ii. Rural exit polling II. Reporting the data III. Security Considerations

I. Two-part elections monitoring system powered by FrontlineSMS a. Citizen's Reporting System

i. Getting the word out

ii. Aggregating citizen data

iii. Urban exit polling

b. International Observer System

i. Verifying citizens' reports

ii. Rural exit polling

II. Reporting the data

III. Security Considerations

Laying the Groundwork

Aggregating Citizen Reports

FrontlineSMS Keywords

Recording Reports

Aggregating Citizen Reports

FrontlineSMS Tables

Trained Observer System Geographic Distribution rationale FrontlineForms unique number for observers texting in at least once an hour 1) how many people at the poll and 2) any irregularities? Responding to volunteer reports auto verified: > 10 reports of the same incident Rural Areas: send observer to verify every report (10mi radius) Urban: send observer to verify after 2 reports have been sent in Exit Polls 1. report results using their phones

Geographic Distribution

rationale

FrontlineForms

unique number for observers

texting in at least once an hour

1) how many people at the poll and 2) any irregularities?

Responding to volunteer reports

auto verified: > 10 reports of the same incident

Rural Areas: send observer to verify every report (10mi radius)

Urban: send observer to verify after 2 reports have been sent in

Exit Polls

1. report results using their phones

FrontlineForms

FrontlineForms

Reporting the Data Generating Maps match reports to geographic and map using Google Maps API. partner with cell phone companies to obtain geographic data allow for communication with observers by using GeoChat Internet Data base aggregate electoral irregularities in an online data base report data by province with hourly updates Press Releases to private news sources radio stations and tv stations Reports to EU generate weekly reports in the weeks leading up to the election SMS updates 1. Text "Updates" + "your province's name" to FrontlineSMS

Generating Maps

match reports to geographic and map using Google Maps API.

partner with cell phone companies to obtain geographic data

allow for communication with observers by using GeoChat

Internet Data base

aggregate electoral irregularities in an online data base

report data by province with hourly updates

Press Releases

to private news sources

radio stations and tv stations

Reports to EU

generate weekly reports in the weeks leading up to the election

SMS updates

1. Text "Updates" + "your province's name" to FrontlineSMS

Google Maps

GeoChat

Security Considerations Cell phone security for Macedonians nothing we can do to encrypt incoming data Our data our data will be encrypted using Martus hosted outside Macedonia (Western Europe backed up using Amazon's Simple Storage System Rationale for not allowing reports via the Internet Observes cell phones will have encryption

Cell phone security for Macedonians

nothing we can do to encrypt incoming data

Our data

our data will be encrypted using Martus

hosted outside Macedonia (Western Europe

backed up using Amazon's Simple Storage System

Rationale for not allowing reports via the Internet

Observes cell phones will have encryption

Questions?