- In Sierra Leone's crucial presidential election last Sunday, 500 election observers at polling stations around the country monitored proceedings via SMS with their mobile phones. This kind of independent monitoring of elections via cell phone is growing around the world, spearheaded by a few innovative NGOs. Below is an article on election monitoring via SMS, adapted from content on MobileActive.org, a resource for people using mobile phones in social change work. This election is particularly significant for the country: It is the first presidential election since U.N. peacekeepers withdrew two years ago. It considered a historic poll that many hope will show that the country c…