Top 3 Election Reporting Platforms for the upcoming elections

This year there has been a remarkable proliferation of electoral advocacy initiatives and civil society organizations dedicated towards encouraging Nigerians to register and vote in the upcoming elections. We are particularly excited about the electoral reporting platforms that have sprung up over the past few months that are poised to enable Nigerians report voter fraud, intimidation and violence so that they are better able to protect their votes. Below is a list of 3 key election reporting platforms that the voting public will find useful.

1. Reclaim Naija

Built using award winning Kenyan platform, Ushahidi, Reclaim Naija is a citizen reporting platform that enables Nigerians submit reports about the voting exercise ranging from incidences of electoral malpractice to violence. The platform was instrumental in helping Nigerians locate polling centers during the registration process. So far, over 1496 reports have been reported on the platform. Here are some sample reports from today.

How to use Reclaim Naija

1. By sending a text message to08166662222 or08096662221 or08120006622
2. By Calling 07006662222
3. By sending an email toinfo@reclaimnaija.net
4. By sending a tweet with the hashtag/s #reclaimnaija or#NigeriaDecides
5. By filling this form

In your correspondence, specify the EXACT LOCATION of the report – Polling units, Ward, Local Goverment and State

2. Revoda

Revoda is a mobile application that enables Nigerians send in citizen reports about the elections via their mobile devices.

How Revoda works

To start using Revoda, follow the instructions in the image below.

 

You can also download the mobile application by following the instructions below:

Click here to download BLACKBERRY version for BlackBerry phones

Click here to download LITE version for Nokia and Java-enabled phones (compatible with Java Me (J2ME), Symbian)

Click here to download SMART version for Nokia and Java-enabled phones (compatible with Java Me (J2ME), Symbian, Smartphones including touch screen)

Instructions

According to the Revoda team, “the process begins with registration on the ReVoDa network by sending your name and polling unit number by SMS to 08128882011, using this format: PU# Name (e.g. 24/13/02/015 Oluwangozi Danladi). If you’re sending from someone else’s phone, enter your own mobile number after the PU number and name, using this format: PU# Name Mobile# (e.g. 24/13/02/015 Oluwangozi Danladi 0800 000 0000). You will get a return SMS confirming your registration and advising you to download the app.”

To learn more about Revoda, listen to CP-Africa’s recent interview with Gbenga Sesan of the Revoda team here.

Or listen to a Revoda radio jingle below
EiE Nigeria’s #ReVoDa Radio Jingle by EiE Nigeria

You can also watch an animated video ad about Revoda below

3. Nigerian Election Watch (by 234Next)

Nigerian Election Watch is the election reporting platform of Nigerian media house, NEXT Newspapers. The platform, located at elections.234next.com allows citizens to report incidences of electoral malpractices via their mobile devices and the web.

The portal includes a news section, a citizens reports section as well as a map section where election reports would be displayed visually. To report on election day, send an SMS starting with 234Next to 07026702053 e.g. “234Next Election going well” or send an e-mail to election@234next.com.

For more information, visit the election reporting platform at elections.234next.com