Context
With the outreach post published and the first draft of the proposal underway, we recognized that building a transparent and secure election system would not be possible in isolation. The Election Commission of Nepal is the authority responsible for managing elections, and their insight was essential. At the same time, we were acutely aware of the time pressure — only six months remained to build the entire system.
How It Started
We decided to take the following immediate steps:
Outreach to Election Commission – We drafted and sent a formal email to the Election Commission of Nepal, requesting collaboration and guidance on the current system and identifying where our team could contribute to improve transparency and security.
Setting Up Communication Channels – To streamline collaboration among our distributed team, we created a Discord server where members could coordinate in real time, share resources, and discuss tasks.
Commitment to Documentation – From the very beginning, we committed to keeping this process transparent. We began documenting progress, ideas, and decisions on Codashram discussions, ensuring that every step would remain open and traceable.
Key Insights
Collaboration with the Election Commission was critical to ensure our work aligned with real-world processes.
With limited time, we needed to focus not just on building a system, but also on facilitating the existing election process to make it more transparent.
Clear communication and consistent documentation would help maintain accountability and encourage wider participation.
Next Steps
Await response and guidance from the Election Commission.
Continue expanding the team through Discord, onboarding new contributors.
Begin breaking down the project into phases that balance ambition with the six-month timeline.
Greetings, Election Commission Nepal,
I hope this message finds you well.
We, the youths of Nepal, are currently working on an open-source initiative to develop a transparent, secure, and accountable election system for Nepal. We already have a team of highly skilled IT professionals from Nepal and Nepalese residing abroad experts in diverse areas of technology—including software development, cybersecurity, networking, data science, and systems infrastructure.
To ensure our work aligns with the needs of the Commission and supports the national election process, we are seeking guidance and collaboration from your side. Specifically, we would greatly appreciate if someone from the Election Commission could help us:
1. Understand the current election management system in place.
2. Identify key challenges and areas where improvements are needed.
3. Facilitate coordination so our team’s expertise can best support the Commission.
We believe this collaboration will strengthen public trust and help ensure that the upcoming elections are efficient, transparent, and technologically resilient.
We would be grateful for the opportunity to discuss this initiative with you at your convenience.
Warm regards,
Prajesh Niraula
