As part of Global Voices’ fundraising challenge campaign called “Behind the Story,” we will feature 30 contributors in 30 days. In this series, we ask each contributor about a particular story they have written and why working on it mattered to them. These reflections from these contributors remind us why it is important to ensure that the Global Voices Newsroom is sustainable.

In this insight, Estefanía Salazar from Venezuela shares thoughts on why working on the story “Venezuela: Everything you need to know about the precious tally sheets” was especially meaningful.

I aimed to deconstruct and explain key elements behind the massive citizen-led monitoring efforts surrounding the controversial July 2024 Venezuelan presidential elections to an international audience, including open data initiatives that uploaded evidence gathered by voters such as tally sheets and video testimonies. [Spoiler: one year later the Venezuelan main electoral body, that proclaimed Nicolás Maduro as the winner- has not published the election results]. Hopefully, the Venezuelan experience can foster groups and individuals interested in electoral integrity across the world. Global Voices has been a unique platform to discuss similar experiences in far-off places such as North Macedonia and Cameroon. Let's help GV foster encounters in a world that needs it so much more than ever.

Global Voices is a platform that provides a space for our community to share stories and perspectives about their community and issues they care about through the accompaniment of a supportive editorial team that assists each contributor to craft their stories.

If you have gained new insights about different parts of the world by reading Global Voices stories from our contributors, please consider donating to keep these stories readily available. Your contribution will support Global Voices’ Newsroom through the end of the year.