Combating Misinformation Through Electoral Reform

American elections, a vital but fraught institution in our country, are being undercut by lies and conspiracies. We can increase trust in our elections by turning around election results faster, through pre-processing of ballots, setting earlier deadlines for ballot return and increase funding for election offices. Voters and the media can also contribute to the solution by improve news consumption habits, demonstrating patience while results are tabulating and learning more about how elections are run. – Table 1: Number of Days Between the Media Calling a Race and State Certification, 2020 Presidential Election – Expediting Results Without Sacrificing Access Targeted, local engagement with communities coupled with civic education are effective strategies to strengthen information ecosystems, alongside national and international efforts focused on laws and regulation.

By Gabriel Marmentini & Jeanine Abrams McLean Sep. 16, 2024 Over the last decade, democracies around the world have seen the steady decay of civic trust, the rise of hyperpolarization, the growth of cooperation among authoritarian powers, and a host of ever-evolving threats to... Misinformation (misleading information) and disinformation (deliberately false information) impede the informed decision-making of voters, but also undermine and erode trust in the media, government, and electoral processes. As countries navigate these challenges, grassroots strategies in combating the spread and influence of harmful and inaccurate information have proven to be a vital and effective complement to policy strategies and interventions. Effective grassroots organizations are trusted voices that are uniquely positioned to identify misinformation that impacts the communities they serve, to implement strategies to combat misinformation, and to build communities that are resilient to future...

These strategies include: (1) using education (civic, democratic, and media) to strengthen information ecosystems; (2) developing long-term civil society coalitions for fact-checking and community building; and (3) conducting localized community engagement activities and amplify... By leveraging direct connections with communities, grassroots efforts complement and enhance the impact and efficacy of policy-based tactics designed to strengthen information ecosystems, during and between election cycles. https://uniteamerica.org/articles/election-reform-can-help-reduce-the-impact-of-misinformation Stay engaged and get the latest UA news and updates delivered to your inbox. The U.S.’ electoral system incentivizes misinformation. The country has a first-past-the-post election method, which generally pits one party against the other in winner-take-all fights where the best electoral strategy is to cast opponents as evil.

This system has led to an increase in affective polarization – disliking and distrusting those from the other political party. Those who are affectively polarized are more likely to believe misinformation coming from within their party. The U.S. has some of the highest levels of affective polarization, and the two major parties are becoming more extreme. Because of this, there is a desire to form a strong group identity while simultaneously criticizing the other group. Misinformation helps affirm people’s beliefs that their party is right and the other party is wrong.

When politicians can’t compromise or deliver on issues that are most important to their constituents, they are incentivized to spread misinformation about their opponents. “We’re seeing higher levels of distrust in our elections, how they’re run and the validity of their outcomes,” USC Price’s Mindy Romero says. (Photo/iStock) With misinformation on the rise and American voters increasingly losing faith in elections, USC experts explore strategies to restore confidence in democracy. Public trust in our free and fair elections — a fundamental pillar of American democracy — is eroding. We don’t need polls to tell us Americans are losing faith in democracy, though the numbers back it up: Recent survey data shows that almost 60% of Americans are dissatisfied with the current state...

The flow of misinformation and coordinated disinformation campaigns are generating alarming levels of doubt among voters, USC experts say. From narratives around contentious issues like abortion and immigration to unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, the damaging effects of misinformation on democracy are increasingly evident. Even misinformation surrounding federal responses to crises such as Hurricane Helene show how public perception can be swayed and the consequences that can follow. The Erosion of Trust: Misinformation’s Threat to American Democracy The 2024 election cycle is unfolding under the shadow of a pervasive threat: the proliferation of misinformation and its corrosive impact on public trust in democratic institutions. From unfounded allegations of voter fraud to targeted attacks on election officials, the landscape of American politics is increasingly fraught with distortions and falsehoods, raising concerns about the very foundation of the electoral process.

Experts warn that this climate of distrust not only undermines faith in the integrity of elections but also disenfranchises voters and fuels a dangerous cycle of apathy and cynicism. Mindy Romero, founder and director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy and a research assistant professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy, offers a stark assessment of the current situation. She identifies three primary forms of election-related misinformation: the undermining of confidence in electoral systems, disinformation aimed at boosting specific candidates or destabilizing institutions, and targeted voter suppression efforts. These tactics, often deployed through sophisticated digital campaigns, exploit existing societal divisions and vulnerabilities, making it increasingly difficult for citizens to distinguish fact from fiction. The pervasiveness of misinformation is exacerbated by the rapid evolution of technology. The speed and scale at which false narratives can spread through social media and other online platforms pose an unprecedented challenge.

The advent of generative AI further complicates the issue, blurring the lines between authentic content and fabricated information. As a result, even diligent citizens can struggle to discern credible sources from those peddling manipulated narratives. This erosion of trust, Romero argues, strikes at the heart of a healthy democracy, where informed participation is essential for a functioning government. The consequences of unchecked misinformation are far-reaching and potentially devastating. Romero points to declining voter turnout, particularly among marginalized communities, as a direct result of the pervasive distrust and cynicism surrounding the electoral process. This disengagement weakens democratic participation and creates a self-perpetuating cycle of disillusionment.

Furthermore, the disproportionate targeting of specific demographics with misinformation leads to further marginalization and exacerbates existing inequalities in political representation. Election misinformation poses a major threat to democratic processes all over the world. The rampant spread of misleading information intentionally (disinformation) and unintentionally (misinformation) during the election cycle can not only create grounds for voter confusion with ramifications on election results but also incite harassment, bullying, and... The attack on the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C., in 2021, is a classic example of this phenomenon, where the spread of dis/misinformation snowballed into riots. Election dis/misinformation is false or misleading information that affects/influences public understanding of voting, candidates, and election integrity. The internet, particularly social media, is the foremost source of false information during elections.

It hosts fabricated news articles, posts or messages containing incorrectly-captioned pictures and videos, fabricated websites, synthetic media and memes, and distorted truths or lies. In a recent example during the 2024 US elections, fake videos using the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) insignia alleging voter fraud in collusion with a political party and claiming the threat of terrorist... According to polling data collected by Brookings, false claims influenced how voters saw candidates and shaped opinions on major issues like the economy, immigration, and crime. It also impacted how they viewed the news media’s coverage of the candidates’ campaign. The shaping of public perceptions can thus, directly influence election outcomes. It can increase polarisation, affect the quality of democratic discourse, and cause disenfranchisement.

From a broader perspective, pervasive and persistent misinformation during the electoral process also has the potential to erode public trust in democratic government institutions and destabilise social order in the long run. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024, the link between misleading or false information and societal unrest will be a focal point during elections in several major economies over the next... Democracies must employ a mixed approach of immediate tactical solutions, such as large-scale fact-checking and content labelling, and long-term evidence-backed countermeasures, such as digital literacy, to curb the spread and impact of dis/misinformation. In the new age of technologies the internet and social media continue to witness a surge in deepfake videos a technological phenomenon that blurs the line between reality and fiction. The string of deepfake videos of Bollywood actors and other famous personalities has raised serious concerns. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke against the risks of artificial intelligence at the G20 Virtual Summit.

The central government has recently announced that it will soon set up dedicated regulations to tackle this Menace. This will include holding social media platforms and creators responsible for their actions against the rules and regulations. Very often most people shy away from initiating a legal process or taking action while being victims of misuse of fast-paced tech but the government has announced its big support to the victims and... The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced on 24th November 2023 that it will be giving social media platforms seven days time period to align their terms of service and other policies... All platforms must align and transform their terms of use with their users to be consistent with the 12 areas that are prohibited under rule 3(1)(b) of the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021. In the past several years, various states across the country have experienced delays in reporting their election results.

These delays have been especially scrutinized in slow-counting jurisdictions when the window of time between the polls closing and the release of sufficient ballot totals that would enable the media to call the race... As voters eagerly await results, this lag time also provides fertile ground for misinformation to proliferate. Misinformation and conspiracy theories can be extremely damaging to democratic institutions, weakening the public’s confidence in and attitudes toward political systems. Unfortunately, correcting misinformation as it arises is often insufficient to stop its spread, as research has shown that corrections do not spread as fast or as far as original information does—even when released by... This paper recommends changes to election practices that could help expedite vote tabulation to minimize the window of time in which misinformation is likely to spread. It also suggests ways that citizens and the media could interact differently with elections to further combat misinformation and improve the legitimacy of American elections….

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