Voluntary Election Integrity Guidelines for Technology Companies

(version 1.0, last updated March 19, 2024)

Chapeau

The goal of the below guidelines is to provide foundational practices that technology companies, including large and small players, should adopt. The intent is to provide a shared set of expectations for companies and election authorities as they each work to advance election integrity and provide high quality information to voters. The intent of these guidelines is also to improve communications channels between technology companies and election authorities where appropriate, and to reduce barriers to supporting election integrity for smaller and newer companies.

These guidelines are broadly applicable to providers of products and services encompassing social media and entertainment platforms, search, mapping, online advertising, and cybersecurity and threat intelligence services, among others. Most companies operate in only some of these spaces; as a result not all guidelines will be relevant to all companies and individual companies should assess which are appropriate for them. These guidelines are not intended to address needs related to specialized election technology such as voting machines or to vendor relationships. They are also not intended to address concerns related to generative AI and other emerging technologies. Some companies have already made a variety of commitments in line with the principles in these guidelines in areas such as generative AI. This document is not meant to contravene or otherwise weaken those commitments.

In many cases, reciprocal action is required by election authorities or civil society for the full benefit of these commitments to be realized. That said, election authorities take a variety of forms globally, ranging from fully independent entities to compromised entities conducting elections with predetermined outcomes in authoritarian states. Companies should therefore not engage or engage fully with all global election authorities; it is critical that companies should tailor their approach, in consultation and as necessary, for each context and potentially for each election.

These guidelines are appropriate for immediate use and are expected to be refined and expanded 12-18 months from publication based on lessons learned. Companies are encouraged to communicate publicly regarding their plans, whether globally or for specific elections, in line with these guidelines.

Planning and Partnership

Commitment 1: Determine how to prioritize resources across many global elections by taking into account a holistic set of considerations.

Determine how to prioritize engagement in elections around the world using a process that takes into account a range of factors including human rights and democratic principles, the relevant use of the company’s products and services, and resource considerations.

Commitment 2: Consult with global civil society as necessary and appropriate.

Continue to engage, or, where not already established but appropriate and necessary, begin engagement, with a diverse set of global civil society organizations, academics, and other relevant subject matter experts through established channels or events, in order to inform the companies’ understanding of the national electoral context and engagement with election authorities, as appropriate.

Establish and share policies and processes in a timely and transparent manner. On a best effort basis, make said policies and processes accessible in a suitably localized manner.

Commitment 4: Centralize information about the resources that are available and relevant to election authorities and other stakeholders.

To better support the global elections community, centralize information about policies, products and services that may be useful for election authorities and civil society, to ensure discoverability of these resources and encourage engagement.

Commitment 5: Establish planning processes that take into account election authorities’ timelines and capacity.

Consult with relevant election authorities and other election stakeholders as appropriate to establish practices for overall engagement during the electoral process, including in advance of the election period and post-election. Identify bilateral points of contacts early, routinize coordination and account for local capacity.

Elections Operations

Commitment 6: Enable access to authoritative election and voter information when appropriate.

Make best efforts to enable access to authoritative election and voter information, when appropriate.

Commitment 7: Establish a strategy to take action on misinformation and disinformation about electoral participation.

Some misinformation and disinformation may directly interfere with or prevent constituents from exercising their right to participate in the electoral process. Develop a framework to address such content. Provide these policies publicly and communicate as appropriate with election authorities and other stakeholders.

Commitment 8: Establish and make available communication channels for election authorities.

Within the requirements set out by local law and companies’ policies, and as appropriate, provide election authorities with clear communication channels that may be used to address critical incidents during the period immediately around elections.

Commitment 9: Publicly provide information on paid political and/or paid election content.

Publish information about on-platform paid political and/or paid election content. Work toward broad global availability of these offerings and awareness of them on a best effort basis. Make information available that may enable research efforts on topics related to paid political and/or paid election content.

Post-election Period and Research Support

Commitment 10: Maintain appropriate coordination mechanisms and operations beyond the immediate election period.

Continue to enforce policies and adequately resource escalation channels and other coordination mechanisms beyond Election Day, as necessary.

Commitment 11: Support post-election engagement with election stakeholders.

Make best efforts to support post-election analyses by election authorities and other relevant election stakeholders, as appropriate.