Kara Sears
Election interference refers to efforts to change the outcome of an election, especially by illegitimate means. This can include electoral fraud, vote buying, voter impersonation, foreign electoral intervention, illegal electioneering, and the use of public funds to persuade voters to vote in a certain way. Election subversion, changing the result of a legitimate election outcome, is also a form of election interference. Election officers may be criminally liable for violations or omissions of their duties under election laws, including receiving votes from unqualified persons, willfully rejecting qualified electors' votes, altering or stealing ballots, stuffing the ballot box, falsifying election returns, and committing fraud. Foreign electoral intervention (FEI) aims to achieve a political outcome in the targeted country by affecting how its citizens vote, and some methods of FEI, such as manipulating voter registration records, violate the target country's sovereignty.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Electoral fraud | Vote buying, voter impersonation, foreign electoral intervention, illegal electioneering, recruiting candidates with identical or similar names to an existing one, using public funds to persuade voters to vote in a certain way |
| Election subversion | Changing the result of a legitimate election outcome |
| Foreign electoral intervention | Backing a preferred party or candidate, harming the electoral chances of another party or candidate, elevating the power or voice of disruptive candidates, exacerbating overall polarisation through amplifying or disseminating misinformation or disinformation, manipulating voter registration records |
| Election officers' violations | Receiving votes of persons unqualified to vote, willfully rejecting qualified electors' votes, altering or stealing ballots or other necessary documents, stuffing the ballot box, falsifying the election returns, committing fraud, election bribery |
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What You'll Learn
Vote buying
The use of public funds to persuade voters to vote in a certain way is also prohibited in some places. This could include using public funds to distribute money to voters or offering other incentives to voters in exchange for their vote.
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Voter impersonation
To prevent voter impersonation, election officials may implement various security measures, such as requiring photo identification or using biometric identification systems. Additionally, voter education and awareness campaigns can help voters understand the importance of voting securely and reporting any suspicious activity.
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Foreign electoral intervention
Some methods of FEI, such as manipulating voter registration records, violate the target country's sovereignty and are therefore illegal. The United States National Intelligence Council distinguishes between methods of FEI that constitute interference and clearly violate the domestic laws of the target state, such as disrupting vote counting or providing illicit funds to a candidate.
Electoral fraud, illegal interference with the process of an election, and illegal electioneering are all forms of election meddling that can break the law. Vote buying, when a political party or candidate distributes money to a voter with the expectation that they will vote for them, is also illegal. Voter impersonation, when an eligible voter votes more than once or a non-eligible voter votes under the name of an eligible one, is another example of election meddling that is against the law.
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Illegal electioneering
Vote buying occurs when a political party or candidate distributes money to a voter with the expectation that they will vote for them. Voter impersonation happens when an eligible voter votes more than once or a non-eligible voter votes under the name of an eligible one. Foreign electoral intervention involves attempts by governments to influence elections in another country. This can include backing a preferred party or candidate, harming the electoral chances of another party or candidate, elevating the power or voice of disruptive candidates, or exacerbating overall polarisation through amplifying or disseminating misinformation or disinformation.
Some methods of foreign electoral intervention, such as manipulating voter registration records, violate the target country's sovereignty. Organisations such as the United States National Intelligence Council distinguish between methods of foreign electoral intervention that constitute interference and clearly violate the domestic laws of the target state. This can include disrupting vote counting and providing illicit funds to a political party or candidate.
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Election subversion
Vote buying occurs when a political party or candidate distributes money to a voter with the expectation that they will vote for them. Voter impersonation happens when an eligible voter votes more than once or a non-eligible voter votes under the name of an eligible one. Foreign electoral intervention involves attempts by governments to influence elections in another country, often by backing a preferred party or candidate, harming the electoral chances of another party or candidate, elevating the power or voice of disruptive candidates, or exacerbating overall polarisation through amplifying or disseminating misinformation or disinformation.
Illegal electioneering includes campaigning or wearing political apparel too close to a polling place. This also includes recruiting candidates with identical or similar names to an existing one, intended to confuse voters. Where prohibited, the use of public funds to persuade voters to vote in a certain way is also considered election subversion.
Election officers may be criminally liable for receiving votes from unqualified voters, willfully rejecting qualified electors' votes, altering or stealing ballots or other necessary documents, stuffing the ballot box, falsifying election returns, and committing fraud. Election bribery is a criminal offence, and it occurs when someone offers, gives, lends, or promises to give or lend anything of value to an elector to induce them to refrain from going to the polls.
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Frequently asked questions
Election meddling generally refers to efforts to change the outcome of an election, especially by illegitimate means.
Electoral fraud, vote buying, voter impersonation, foreign electoral intervention, illegal electioneering, recruiting candidates with identical or similar names to an existing one, using public funds to persuade voters to vote in a certain way, election subversion, manipulating voter registration records, disrupting vote counting, providing illicit funds to a candidate, election bribery, and election officers receiving votes of persons unqualified to vote, willfully rejecting qualified electors' votes, altering or stealing ballots or other necessary documents, stuffing the ballot box, falsifying the election returns, or committing fraud.
Vote buying is when a political party or candidate distributes money to a voter with the expectation that they will vote for them.
Foreign electoral intervention refers to attempts by governments to influence elections in another country.
Illegal electioneering includes campaigning or wearing political apparel too close to a polling place.
