Gather 'round, see the latest and greatest in election technology!

Elections remain an integral part of a good democracy, as well as an opportunity for transitioning countries to demonstrate their openness and ability to manage the process. Civil society organizations use tech for domestic monitoring and citizen reporting projects and governments increasingly put election results online and use tech to help citizens with the voting process. In today's Monday Round Up, we look at examples of both: 

• In Jakarta, one organization is finding volunteers to take pictures of vote tallies posted outside polling stations to ensure accurate counts. 
• In the ongoing effort to engage the youth vote in the US, one poll suggests voting through smart phones.
• Canada is exploring the use of technology for electoral services, voter registration, and even internet voting.
• India recently hosted the Egyptian Election Commission to share knowledge on technology use during elections.
• The Ghana Electoral Commission launched a SMS service to help verify voter information, as well as to receive important notifications.
• Venezuela prepares for Presidential elections, where they use touch screen voting, complete with thumb print identification. 
• Can social media predict election preferences? Look at two studies using Facebook and Twitter
• Argentina features a visualization of its provisional ballot results, making the information more accessible and easier to understand. 
• Luckily, if you like data sets and data visualizations, you apparently fit the description for the "sexiest job of the 21st century".
• Authoritarian regimes are finding new ways to repress online speech, as activists try to find new ways to fight back, according to a newly released Freedom House report.
• In one example of repression, Iran announced that it will block access to Google and Gmail in response to offensive footage on YouTube
• In the Asia-Pacific region of the world, activists are responding to increased repression with increased hactivism, a trend predicted to rise.  
• Mexico has experienced the same pushback from activists, exhibited by the "yosoy132" movement.
• Facebook has taken steps to keep in line with a recent EU decision by getting rid of face recognition services there.
• If you are curious about other upcoming elections, check out a full calendar here.