Promise Tracker

After an election, how can citizens hold leaders accountable for promises that were made to them during the campaign season? We are exploring the role citizen monitoring can play in holding elected leaders accountable for promises they make about infrastructure. We are designing and piloting a tool called Promise Tracker in both the United States and Kenya. Promise Tracker will allow citizens to see evidence documenting the origin of a promise, collect data about the status of a promise—for example, going to the location of a proposed health clinic and taking a photo of the site—and then take action if the promise has not been fulfilled. Actions can take many forms. For example, citizens can notify civic leaders of their concerns, approve of progress being made, join a recall effort, or amplify a story about unfulfilled promises to journalists.