About this article
The emergence of digitally politicized disinformation and foreign interference in elections presents a new challenge to democracy, which is growing rapidly as these tools become more sophisticated, easier for disruptive actors to access, and harder to detect. They can confuse voters, polarize the electorate along partisan and racial lines, and discredit election systems and institutions.
In the US, there is a strong emphasis on exposing interference incidents – what officials call ‘forewarning’ – ahead of election day through public bulletins, such as those published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. This approach has a place in election security, but is only one part of the solution. Ultimately, the best way to protect against interference machinations is through prevention.
A major risk during an election is a malicious hack on the actual mechanics of vote counting, but this is very unlikely given the hodgepodge of state voting systems and recent security upgrades that ensure paper backups for almost every ballot. More realistic threats are the manipulation of voters through a flood of misinformation, or ‘false narratives’, that can distort opinions and influence votes. This is augmented by the use of social media bots to spread propaganda and false information and the spread of fake news and videos that exploit voters’ emotions and fears.
These risks are exacerbated by law enforcement approaches that seek to find evidence of widespread voter fraud and sanction the targeting of perceived political adversaries. For example, a local election official fearful of being prosecuted might succumb to pressure to aggressively purge voter rolls or otherwise subvert the election process.