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Frequently asked questions

How we collect results, how the momentum trends are worked out, and what the numbers on the dashboard mean.

What is Liberia PollTracker?

An independent, non-partisan tracker of Liberian election results. It shows the tallies for the presidential, senatorial and representative races, county by county, alongside the momentum trends, historical comparisons and reporting tools built from the tallies it stores.

Who runs Liberia PollTracker?

It is built and maintained by a small independent team of software developers and data analysts. We are not affiliated with any political party or candidate, nor with the National Elections Commission.

Where do the numbers come from?

Every tally is entered by our team from published count reports and official precinct tally sheets as they are released, or uploaded in batches from those reports. Each record keeps the figures exactly as reported — we do not estimate, project or fill gaps with guesses.

How often does the dashboard update?

The page loads the latest tally we have recorded whenever you open it, and refreshes itself while a count is under way. Separately, the tracker stores a permanent snapshot of the running totals every 30 minutes (Monrovia time), which is what makes the trend and momentum charts possible.

Why do your totals differ from another outlet’s?

A count arrives precinct by precinct, and different outlets publish at different moments and include different numbers of precincts. Check the "precincts reporting" figure: it tells you what share of polling places is already counted, so two sets of numbers can both be right at different points in the count.

How are the momentum trends calculated?

Each stored snapshot holds every candidate’s cumulative votes at that moment. A momentum line simply plots those running totals over time. Movement is the latest point minus the earliest point in the period shown. Vote share is a candidate’s votes divided by all votes recorded in that same race at the same snapshot. A lead margin is the leader’s votes minus the runner-up’s, and a lead change is the moment that margin crosses zero.

What does "precincts reporting" actually mean?

It is the share of polling places whose tallies have been entered for that race. 100% means every precinct in the race is accounted for; anything below that means the race is still filling in, and the standings can still move.

What does the Verified badge mean?

A verified tally has been checked a second time against the official precinct record — not just entered once. Verification is applied deliberately by an administrator to specific tallies, and the badge records who validated it and when. The dashboard shows how many of the tallies it holds are verified at any moment.

Do you call races or project winners?

No. We report counts and the arithmetic that follows from them, and we mark a candidate as a winner only where the count itself has been finalised and validated. We never project, extrapolate or model a result that has not been counted.

Where do the 2017, 2020 and 2023 figures come from?

They are the official published results for those election cycles, stored separately from the tracked tallies and used only as a baseline for comparison. Historical figures never mix into the tracked count — the two are always shown as distinct sets of numbers.

Can I display your chart on my own site?

Yes. The Embed button on the dashboard copies a ready-made snippet for the national vote share chart, which refreshes itself while a count is under way. You are welcome to publish it; a credit back to the tracker is appreciated.

I think a number is wrong. What should I do?

Tell us. Every figure can be traced back to the source it was recorded from, so we can re-check it quickly and correct it if we got it wrong. Corrections are made in place, and the same record keeps its place in the history.

Still have a question?

Our full methodology is set out on the About the Data page. For anything else — a correction, a media request or a question we have not answered here — use the contact page and we will get back to you.