Keith Mack
Election interference refers to efforts to change the outcome of an election by illegitimate means. This may 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 officers may be criminally liable for receiving votes from unqualified voters, willfully rejecting qualified electors' votes, altering or stealing ballots, stuffing the ballot box, falsifying election returns, and committing fraud.
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What You'll Learn
Vote buying
> Any person, who offers, gives, lends or promises to give or lend, or attempts to procure anything of value or any office or employment or any privilege or immunity to, or for, any elector, or to or for any other person, in order to induce any elector to: Refrain from going to the polls.
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Voter impersonation
To prevent voter impersonation, it is important to have secure and accurate voter registration systems in place, as well as proper identification requirements for voters. This can help ensure that only eligible voters are able to cast ballots and that their identities are verified. It is also important to have measures in place to detect and investigate potential cases of voter impersonation, such as cross-referencing voter registration records with other sources of information, such as driver's license databases or social security records.
In addition to voter impersonation, other forms of election meddling that break the law include vote buying, foreign electoral intervention, illegal electioneering, and the use of public funds to persuade voters to vote in a certain way. It is important to have strong laws and enforcement mechanisms in place to deter and punish those who engage in these illegal activities, in order to protect the integrity of elections and ensure that the outcomes accurately reflect the will of the people.
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Foreign electoral intervention
FEI can also involve manipulating voter registration records, which violates the target country's sovereignty. Some methods of FEI, such as disrupting vote counting or providing illicit funds to a political campaign, clearly violate the domestic laws of the target state. Consequently, some scholars and organisations, such as the United States National Intelligence Council, distinguish between methods of FEI that constitute interference and those that do not.
FEI can have significant consequences for the target country's political landscape and can undermine the integrity of its democratic processes. It can also damage the relationship between the intervening and target countries, leading to increased tensions and even conflict. As such, FEI is a serious concern for governments and international organisations alike.
There are a number of ways in which countries can attempt to counter FEI. One approach is to strengthen the resilience of electoral systems, for example by improving cybersecurity measures to protect against hacking and other forms of digital interference. Another strategy is to increase transparency and accountability in the electoral process, making it more difficult for foreign actors to interfere without detection. Finally, international cooperation and information sharing can help to identify and respond to FEI more effectively.
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Illegal electioneering
Election interference generally refers to efforts to change the outcome of an election, especially by illegitimate means. Illegal electioneering is one of the kinds of election interference. It refers to campaigning or wearing political apparel too close to a polling place.
Election officers may also be criminally liable for violations or omissions of their duties under election laws. This includes receiving votes from unqualified persons, willfully rejecting qualified electors' votes, altering or stealing ballots or other necessary documents, stuffing the ballot box, falsifying election returns, and committing fraud.
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Electoral fraud
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 involves an eligible voter voting more than once or a non-eligible voter voting under the name of an eligible one. Foreign electoral intervention refers to 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 involves campaigning or wearing political apparel too close to a polling place, and the use of public funds to persuade voters to vote in a certain way is prohibited in some jurisdictions. Electoral fraud can also involve recruiting candidates with identical or similar names to an existing one, intended to confuse voters.
In addition, election officers may be held criminally liable for violations or omissions of their duties under election laws. This includes receiving votes from unqualified persons, 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, which involves offering or giving anything of value to an elector to induce them to refrain from going to the polls, is also a criminal offence.
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Frequently asked questions
Election interference refers to efforts to change the outcome of an election, especially by illegitimate means.
Examples of election interference include electoral fraud, vote buying, voter impersonation, foreign electoral intervention, illegal electioneering, and recruiting candidates with identical or similar names to an existing one.
The consequences of election interference can vary depending on the jurisdiction and the severity of the interference. In some cases, election interference may be a criminal offence, with penalties including fines, imprisonment, or both. Election officers may be held 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.
