Forthcoming research for the Advancing the Governance of Data for Development in Africa project shows five challenges regarding data access in African elections. Selected findings were shared in December at the 24th annual meeting of the Elections Commissions Forum of the South African Development Community, held in Seychelles, and at the African Internet Governance Forum Parliamentary Track, in Ethiopia.
The research, drawing from interviews in four African countries (South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Zimbabwe), highlights the following:
- Limited stakeholder awareness and understanding of the nexus between data and democratic processes.
- A culture of official secrecy and a lack of transparency amongst Election Management Bodies (EMBs) inhibit data access and use by parties, observers and analysts.
- Opaque data practices on social media platforms and high costs of using data brokers to monitor elections-related content.
- Technical and capacity limitations around data management are present across many EMBs, as well as in political parties and civil society.
- Social inequalities in internet connectivity and digital literacy reduce the potential of data access to contribute to election integrity.
The research further assessed that many EMBs have limited internal data sharing and poor external collaboration around data issues. Data silos and a lack of standardised formats in EMBs hinder possibilities of combining data from different sources, and availing EMB data to election stakeholders.
The forthcoming report presents findings about the roles of other relevant stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organisations, election monitors and analysts, media stakeholders and tech companies in the elections data ecosystem.
The RIA research finds that while there is an appreciation among many stakeholders of the importance of data availability and integrity in the election process, the centrality of these issues to credible democratic outcomes is not fully grasped.
While section 11 of the Principles and Guidelines of the African Association of Election Authorities calls on online platforms for meaningful access to data to monitor elections online, this prospect remains largely unfulfilled. The report notes the relevance of the African Alliance for Access to Information, of which RIA is a founder member, in advocating for public-interest access to data, especially for elections-related research.
The final report, due to be complete in February 2025, presents recommendations that guide the way forward, particularly at the policy level, that could help to optimise data for election integrity on the continent.
