Elections and Tech
Tech impacts every election.
Whether it's ballot scanners, biometrics, or social media, every election runs on and is shaped by technology. At IFES we are helping build resilient democracies that deliver for all. And that means the tech stack too, from undersea cables to avatars.
This site is a resource for anyone interested in democracy, technology, and all the strange ways they come together.
Launch of IFES' AI AGE: The Artificial Intelligence Advisory Group on Elections - June 12, 2025, 10:00am EDT
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming more powerful and influential, while, at the same time, democracy is under attack globally. Electoral authorities and AI experts – two groups crucial to restoring democracy worldwide - are largely working in siloes. Join the Carnegie Endowment’s Technology and International Affairs Program and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems for the launch of the AI AGE initiative and a discussion of critical issues at the intersection of AI and elections, including biometric identification, data governance, content provenance, and information integrity.
Learn more and watch Register to attend in person
Updates across our initiatives
The Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania formally endorses the guidelines
April 05, 2024The Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania has issued a statement formally endorsing the Voluntary Election Integrity Guidelines for Technology Companies. Their statement reads:
Protecting election integrity is an essential part of our constitutional mission as electoral administration. Access to accurate and reliable information lies at the foundation of informed choices. By promoting new ways to protect voters from disinformation spread throughout online platforms and completing recent recommendations given by the European Commission on inclusive and resilient electoral processes, the present Guidelines mark a step forward towards strengthening trustworthy communication during elections.
The Supreme Elections Tribunal of El Salvador formally endorses the guidelines
April 03, 2024The Supreme Elections Tribunal of El Salvador (Tribunal Supremo Electoral / TSE) has issued a statement formally endorsing the Voluntary Election Integrity Guidelines for Technology Companies. Their statement, shared by TSE Magistrate President MSc. Dora Esmerelda Martínez de Barahona, reads:
I want to express our sincere interest and full support to the Voluntary Election Integrity Guidelines for Technology Companies. We deeply value this IFES initiative which promotes electoral integrity by enhancing cooperation among digital platforms and Elections Management Bodies around the world. In El Salvador we recognize the need to establish international standards that guarantee integrity and safety of our electoral processes, as we believe that an active participation by technology companies around this joint effort, is key to achieve a more robust and more threats resistant electoral system.
Op-Ed: Disinformation has become the single biggest threat to electoral integrity
March 28, 2024Politico published an op-ed authored by IFES President Tony Banbury and Mauritius Election Commissioner Mohammad Irfan Abdool Rahman. The piece details the challenges technology poses for election officials, outlines the critical need to build bridges between the election community and the technology sector, and highlights the Voluntary Guidelines.
The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) of Haiti formally endorses the guidelines
March 25, 2024The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) of Haiti has issued a statement formally endorsing the Voluntary Election Integrity Guidelines for Technology Companies. Their statement reads:
"Par la présente, je veux vous faire part que le Conseil Électoral Provisoire (CEP) est d’avis pour l’implication directe de l’IFES dans la définition des « Lignes directrices volontaires ».
The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) supports IFES' direct involvement in the development of the Voluntary Guidelines.
The Philippines COMELEC formally endorses the guidelines
March 21, 2024The Philippines Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has issued a statement formally endorsing the Voluntary Election Integrity Guidelines for Technology Companies. Their statement reads:
Today, as world leaders gather in the Democracy Summit in South Korea, the Commission on Elections takes this opportunity to formally endorse the Voluntary Election Integrity Guidelines for Technology Companies, which outlines the commitment of election stakeholders, most specially the technology companies, to ensure election integrity, improve the quality of election-related information disseminated and made available to voters, and implement best practices to combat widespread misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information.
The Commission on Elections is committed in harmonizing our policies and plans of action, particularly under our Digital Transformation Program and our Task Force Kontra (Against) Fake News, with these set of guidelines, to reflect our meaningful involvement in attaining the shared global vision of sustaining democracy and advancing electoral integrity, while maximizing the power of digitalization and technology in our election systems.
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