Smart Elections Is Ai The Next Wave In Electoral Management

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 6, 2025, 9:21 AM

smart elections is ai the next wave in electoral management

2024 is a landmark election year, with over 60 countries—encompassing nearly half of the global population—heading to the polls. Technology has long been used in electoral processes, such as e-voting, and it is a valuable tool in making this process efficient and secure. However, recent advancements in artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI such as ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Copilot (Microsoft), could have an unprecedented impact on the electoral process. These digital innovations offer opportunities to improve electoral efficiency and voter engagement, but also raise concerns about potential misuse. AI can be used to harness big data to influence voter decision-making. Its capacity for launching cyberattacks, producing deepfakes, and spreading disinformation could destabilize democratic processes, threaten the integrity of political discourse, and erode public trust.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted AI’s dual nature in his address to the Security Council, noting that while AI can accelerate human development, it also poses significant risks if used maliciously. He stated, “The advent of generative AI could be a defining moment for disinformation and hate speech—undermining truth, facts, and safety, adding a new dimension to the manipulation of human behaviour and contributing to... In this article, we will briefly explore the benefits and challenges that AI is bringing to the electoral process. According to UNESCO’s Guide for Electoral Practitioners: “Elections in Digital Times,” AI has the potential to improve the efficiency and accuracy of elections. It reaches out to voters and engages with them more directly through personalised communication tailored to individual preferences and behaviour. AI-powered chatbots can provide real-time information about polling locations, candidate platforms, and voting procedures, making the electoral process more accessible and transparent.

A not-for-profit organization, IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.© Copyright 2025 IEEE - All rights reserved. Use of this web site signifies your agreement to the terms and conditions. #ArtificialIntelligence's effect on democracy is inevitably set to escalate as the #AI industry is currently experiencing an explosive annual growth rate of 36.5%. To secure AI's potential to benefit democracy, International IDEA is delving into how AI can be, and already is, used by electoral management in order to protect the integrity of the electoral process. ⬇️ #ProtectElections https://lnkd.in/dd8xFDk6 As technology continues to evolve, its impact on various sectors becomes more pronounced.

One area where technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), is making significant strides is in the realm of elections. The integration of AI into the electoral process promises to enhance voter engagement, streamline operations, and improve overall efficiency. AI can analyze vast amounts of data quickly, providing insights into voter behavior and preferences. This capability allows political campaigns to tailor their messages more effectively, ensuring that they reach the right audience with the right message. One of the primary benefits of AI in elections is its potential to boost voter engagement. By using AI-driven analytics, campaigns can identify and target disengaged voter segments with personalized outreach strategies.

This ensures that more citizens feel involved and valued in the electoral process. Moreover, AI can facilitate more interactive and engaging platforms for voter education. Chatbots, for example, can provide real-time information about voting procedures, polling locations, and candidate platforms, making it easier for voters to access the information they need. Beyond engagement, AI also brings efficiency to the logistical side of elections. Automated systems can handle tasks such as voter registration, ballot counting, and fraud detection with greater speed and accuracy than traditional methods. This not only reduces the risk of human error but also enhances the integrity of the electoral process.

Your use of JSTOR indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use and the Privacy Policy. Use your account to permanently save your acceptance. Results from tabletop exercises in five states during the 2024 election !function(e,n,i,s){var d="InfogramEmbeds";var o=e.getElementsByTagName(n)[0];if(window[d]&&window[d].initialized)window[d].process&&window[d].process();else if(!e.getElementById(i)){var r=e.createElement(n);r.async=1,r.id=i,r.src=s,o.parentNode.insertBefore(r,o)}}(document,"script","infogram-async","https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js"); An adage holds that 2024 is the United States’ first “AI election.” Observers fear that AI will pose serious and novel threats to election administration. These fears are not universally shared, but few would entirely write off the possibility of malicious actors using AI to create chaos after a close election.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency suggests several ways that bad actors could use AI to threaten election-related processes, facilities, personnel, or vendors. Fabulists could use AI to generate photorealistic fake images of election officials mishandling ballots, or they could create compelling video evidence of violence at polling places to deter voters from casting ballots in the... Bad actors might, for example, synthesize an official’s voice in an advanced spear-phishing attempt. Large language models could generate mountains of burdensome public records requests or fraudulent complaints of irregularities, each demanding precious time from officials. These are only a few of the worries keeping observers up at night. Election workers already face high, if not unprecedented, levels of stress and scrutiny.

They are experiencing a steep increase in false allegations about their work and integrity, harassment and threats to their well-being, and interference from election saboteurs. On top of that, they are training the next cohort of officials after an increase in turnover over the past two decades. Few in the profession have the extra bandwidth to think through the implications of AI for their work.

Smart Elections Is Ai The Next Wave In Electoral Management

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