Ahead of the November 2019 by-elections. the Election Commission, Nepal (ECN) amplified its digital presence through its Facebook page and its website. By doing so, it engaged and informed voters about the activities of the Commission.

The Electoral Support Project (ESP) supported the ECN in this process. The social media engagement for the by-elections was guided by this social media engagement strategy. Under the leadership of the ECN, a dedicated task force with ESP and International Foundation for Electoral Systems representatives was formed to coordinate content for the ECN Facebook page. The ECN posted information and infographics, press releases, photos and videos, and slogans on the by-elections and voter education.

The ECN also paid special attention to issues of inclusion, ensuring a wide array of posts. For example, a special sign language interpretation of a video on valid and invalid votes that was posted on Facebook  was well-received by the audience.

In addition to supporting the Commission to strengthen its digital presence, the ESP also worked with Local Interventions Group, a civic innovation company, to understand how the digital space was used by the public during the by-elections. Their findings complemented the ESP social media engagement analysis, and showed that among the 400 or so personal posts that were analysed, the highest number was used for campaigning, and that a majority of the posts were largely factual and positive. The analysis also confirmed that social media activity around elections tend to be largely dominated by men.

The social media campaign for the 30 November by-elections took place from 10 November to 2 December, 2019. In the 23-day long campaign period, the total page followers of the Commission rose from 33,098 to 43,821, an increment of 32.39%.

The Electoral Support Project- Phase II (ESP) is a technical assistance initiative which focuses on a long-term institutional and professional capacity development of the Election Commission (ECN) for conducting credible, inclusive and transparent elections. The objectives of the project are 1) to strengthen the capacity of the ECN to function as an independent and credible institution, 2) to allow the conduct of the election cycle in an effective, sustainable, and credible manner, and 3) to increase democratic participation, particularly for under-represented and disadvantaged segments of the Nepali society. In 2019, the ESP was funded by the EU and UNDP.