A real-life example — PU 014, Ward 3
Aisha, Chinedu, Musa and Ngozi each snap the sheet between 2:32 and 2:46 in the afternoon. Three photos show PDP 98; Musa's shows PDP 99.
We don't publish "Aisha said 124." We ask: what most likely happened at PU 014? And we show it like this:
APC 124 · PDP 98 · LP 41 — 96% sure
4 different people sent it · 4 matching photos · 3 sent from near the unit · the maths on the sheet adds up · 1 photo shows PDP 99 (shown openly as a disagreement).
The odd one out is never hidden. Seeing the disagreement is what makes the rest believable.
What we look at
Same numbers — how many different people sent matching figures
Real photos — how many different photos of the sheet show those figures
Right place — uploads made at or near the polling unit
Right time — uploads made around when results are normally announced
Sheet adds up — parties and totals on the sheet line up
Maths checks out — votes don't pass the number of voters accredited
People agree — others who were there confirm what was posted
You, the computer, the community, the review
01 · YouCapture the resultsA photo of the sheet, your polling unit, and the time you saw it. Location too, if your phone allows it.
02 · ComputerRead the numbersThe figures are read off the photo for you. We also check the photo is clear, complete, and not a copy of another one.
03 · Cross-checkCompare what people sentAll the uploads from the same unit are placed side by side: do the numbers match, do the photos match, were they taken at the right place and time?
04 · CommunityPeople agree or disagreeOthers who were at that unit can confirm it or say "that's not what I saw." Disagreements are shown openly, never hidden.
05 · ReviewSort out serious disagreementsWhen uploads from the same unit tell different stories, the unit is marked as under review everywhere it shows.
06 · ResultA result you can check yourselfThe figures, how sure we are, and every photo behind them — open for anybody to see.
Adding it all up
Each level adds up the one below it: polling unit, ward, LGA, state, national. We never declare that anybody "won" a state on this site — we only report the counts and how sure we are, and you can trace any number from the national total down to a single photo.
Your part, step by step
01Find your polling unitSearch by your area, the unit name or the INEC code. You don't need to sign up for anything — just look.
02Watch the countFollow the figures as they come in — from your unit all the way up to the national total.
03Capture the resultsWhen INEC pastes the EC8A sheet at your unit, capture the results — upload a photo of the sheet, or type in what you saw.
04Confirm it's really youOnly when your sheet is about to go public do we send you a one-time code. That's all — no long forms.
05See it add upYour unit's result joins the ward, LGA, state and national totals. Every number can be traced back to the photo it came from.
What happens behind the scenes
1. The photo comes first
Someone at the unit snaps the result sheet INEC pasted. The photo is stored safely with its time — we never publish a bare number without the photo behind it.
2. We read the figures for you
The sheet is read automatically — party scores, accredited voters, the unit code, and whether the presiding officer signed. You don't type anything.
3. Matching sheets
Uploads from the same unit are grouped together. Sheets that match strengthen each other; sheets that disagree are shown openly instead of being quietly averaged away.
4. People who were there weigh in
Others at that unit agree or disagree. Every agreement makes the result stronger; disagreement marks it as disputed until it's sorted out.
5. Then the totals
Only the strongest result per unit counts toward ward, LGA, state and national totals — and every total can be traced back to the photos behind it.
Badges
Badges make your evidence carry more weight when we check results. They never give anyone extra votes.
Verified ObserverConfirmed as an accredited observer or party agent.Trusted CitizenA track record of uploads that others agreed with.PU HeroRegularly first with evidence at their polling unit.Democracy DefenderKeeps contributing accurate evidence election after election.