A study involving more than 16,000 Ugandan voters suggests that sending text messages containing official information about district budget irregularities to voters prior to Uganda's February 2016 elections increased the likelihood of voting for incumbent district councilors if the messages reported fewer irregularities than expected, and reduced the likelihood of voting for incumbents if the messages reported more irregularities than expected, suggesting a potential method to empower voters and increase electoral accountability for some political offices.
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Article #17-22306: "SMS texts on corruption help Ugandan voters hold elected councillors accountable at the polls," by Mark T. Buntaine, Ryan Jablonski, Daniel L. Nielson, and Paula M. Pickering.
MEDIA CONTACT: Mark T. Buntaine, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA; tel: 805-893-4075; e-mail: buntaine@bren.ucsb.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences