Election interference refers to the use of a foreign government or its proxies to undermine democracy by spreading falsehoods about candidates and their policies. It can include everything from sophisticated hacking to blatant propaganda to more covert influence campaigns. In addition to more traditional forms of election interference like intimidation and voter fraud, it can also extend to seemingly innocuous interactions, such as a chat with a neighbor or barista about politics.
A new generation of threats have opened up as a result of advances in communications and international mobility. These new forms of interference seek to undermine the legitimacy of elections and are more difficult to detect and respond to than in the past.
It’s not just the Russians who are pursuing this agenda. The US and its allies have undertaken more than eighty interference operations abroad, according to Carnegie Mellon University political scientist Dov Levin. Many of these operations were covert during the Cold War, but in the late twentieth century they increasingly shifted toward open support for civic and pro-democracy groups.
Interference can affect every part of the election process, from registration to inauguration day. It can lead to election results being annulled, as happened in Romania after a TikTok campaign favored one of the candidates. If it becomes routine for officials to delegitimize an election due to foreign interference, however insignificant, this would be a major threat to our democracy. It’s vital that the US and its allies learn from the 2024 experience and improve their readiness to protect democracy from future interference.
About the Author
