Election Management Bodies from Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Indonesia, Kazakhstan which made presentations on their electoral experience in 2024, placed their concerns regarding disinformation, misinformation and fake narratives on social media affecting electoral integrity in live elections.

The Election Commission of India set the ball rolling for a two day international conference of representatives from election management bodies (EMBs) of 13 countries and international organisations for discussions on key issues of contemporary election management. The conference on the theme ‘Global Election Year 2024: Reiteration of Democratic Spaces, Takeaway for EMBs’ is hosted by the ECI based on the varied experiences of EMBs in conducting elections in 2024, in India and the other countries.

Nearly 30 representatives from the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of 13 countries including Bhutan, Georgia, Namibia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Ireland, Mauritius, Philippines, Russian Federation, Tunisia, and Nepal are attending the conference.

In his keynote address, India’s chief election commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, reflected that 2024 was a defining year as a test for EMBs for reaffirmation of democratic values amidst challenging and complexities. He emphasised on the critical role of technology and digital innovations in enhancing efficiency, transparency and voter confidence.

The chief election commissioner said that while technology offers significant opportunities, it also brings challenges like cybersecurity threats and misinformation. He urged EMBs to streamline strategies for addressing these technological challenges to effectively mitigate the risks.

Sounding a note of caution against fake narratives which erode trust in electoral processes, Rajiv Kumar said that such fake narratives are typically timed at crucial junctures of the election process to target its very vitals.

Tackling Fake News

Election Management Bodies from Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Indonesia, Kazakhstan which made presentations on their electoral experience in 2024, placed their concerns regarding disinformation, misinformation and fake narratives on social media affecting electoral integrity in live elections.

The CEC of Mauritius Mr. Abdool Rahman also stressed on the menace of fake news to undermine the electorate’s trust in the EMBs. Highlighting a particular case of fake online applications for recruitment of election staff, Mr. Rahman expressed concern on the use of technology and social media in intensifying the menace of misinformation and disinformation during elections.

A representative of the electoral commission of Namibia, while expressing concern about the rising trend of fake news, sought suggestions on tackling fake news on social media. Commissioner, General Election Commission of Indonesia, Idhan Holik, spoke about their experience of using a dedicated WhatsApp channel to tackle misinformation in real time.

Further, CEC Kumar also outlined key trends shaping the future of elections, including AI-driven processes, online and remote voting, biometric authentication and increased global collaboration and called all participants to explore the opportunities with technological advancements in making elections more transparent, inclusive and accessible. He underscored the role of EMBs in not only safeguarding electoral processes globally but also expanding their reach and impact.

Highlighting India’s historic general elections with a record participation of 647 million voters and over one million polling stations, CEC Kumar said that the elections were also more inclusive with greater participation especially among women, elderly aged 85+, persons with disabilities (PwDs) and the third gender.

Promoting Electoral Equity

CEC Kumar underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in capacity building and global cooperation as vital to safeguarding democratic processes and strengthening election management worldwide.

In the first session on major learnings, India’s election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, presented the case of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 underlining the scale, complexity and quality of the Indian Lok Sabha Elections.  He said that despite the magnitude of the challenge, the election process upheld quality and set new benchmarks in the conduct of elections globally.

Speaking in the session on role of technology in elections management – opportunities and challenges, Dasho Sonam Topgay, CEC of Bhutan thanked India for providing EVMs and lauded the process efficiencies brought in by EVMs since their use in the election in Bhutan. He added that EVMs have won the trust of people in Bhutan.

Speaking on Digital IDs, Mr. Topgay said that Bhutan has a biometric unified national ID which is used for voter authentication. He added that Bhutan is exploring the possibility of online voting in future elections.

The first day of the conference featured multiple sessions – the role of technology in election management, social media platforms and their impact on election management, promoting electoral equity for inclusive and accessible elections, and the importance of capacity building, training, and international cooperation.