Afghanistan voter helpline answering 35,000 queries per week
19 August 2009
The voter helpline number 190 operating out of Kabul is presently the best known phone number in Afghanistan and it is doing a good job of addressing a range of questions from keen voters across the country.
With polling just a day away, a non-stop
humming sound emanates from the voter helpline call centre that
operates in Kabul. All operators are as busy as ever, answering
questions ranging from “Do women have the right to vote?” to “What is
the election date?”, “How will our votes be counted?” and “When will
the results be announced?”
In the past two months, the number of calls
rose from 25,000 to nearly 35,000 per week.
The
supervisor of the helpline told us that most of the callers are young
and the standard question they ask is “I am 18 years old – can I vote?”
Only 10 per cent of the callers are women, and one operator believes
this is because “women don’t own mobile phones”. The
helpline number, 190 is perhaps the best known phone number in
Afghanistan and although an average of 35,000 calls are answered each
week, the total number of received calls is far higher. Even by
doubling the number of staff, 35 per cent of calls still go unanswered. But
the overwhelming demand is a good sign, according to the call centre
operators. They believe that there is an overall enthusiasm about the
election, which is reflected in the huge number of calls received. The
operators say there are many who believe in the importance of voting.
We were told that a majority of the calls were from the areas of most
conflict, like Kandahar, Helmand and others. Despite
fearing for their safety, call centre staff members are driven by their
interest in election procedures and knowing more about the candidates,
while understanding the dangers in place. For example, due to security
reasons, we have been asked not to disclose names of the operators. The call center staff members say they also want to make their vote count, showing determination and enthusiasm. “It
is our right to vote. We should choose a good president, for our future
we should vote”, says an operator. “There should be a real election in
Afghanistan to choose a leader for peace, a good life and a secure
future for us and our children,” he added. The
efficiently-run call centre is fitted with hi-tech equipment and
sophisticated software which gives online data about calls handled and
callers waiting. Operators have a list of questions from the
Independent Election Commission (IEC) – the Afghan institution that is
organizing the elections – with standard answers. But each week the
call centre puts together new questions from callers that the IEC had
not thought of for their guidance in preparing the responses. The voter helpline was set up by the Independent Election Commission
with support by UNDP’s ELECT project.
