Digitalization of the electoral process: reality conditions, perspectives, threats

Abstract

The role of modern digital technologies in electoral procedures of democracies is experiencing exponential growth, bringing both positive and negative changes. On one perspective, these transformations optimize efficiency and transparency of such procedures, streamlining the electoral processes efficiency. On the other perspective, they introduce security risks to political communication technologies, where democratic elections are the core component. The material of this article provides an in-depth analysis of the key threats posed by digitalization in electoral operations. It investigates how Big Data, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, high-speed internet, and modern mobile technologies are redefining political communication and election security. To achieve a more detailed understanding of the problem, the article decomposes the electoral process into constituent sub-stages — the preparation phase, and the phase of voting itself along with and the vote-counting. Utilizing this approach enables to methodically classify threats into four key groups: information and cybersecurity threats, data manipulation threats, threats to technical and organizational safety, and institutional and regulatory threats. Employing case studies, event analysis, threats systematization, and comparative analysis, it considers emprirical examples of cyberattacks and data manipulation. It also provides an overview of regulatory frameworks governing personal data protection and information security across various democracies. The article emphasizes the necessity for modern regulatory and technical solutions to the risks mitigation. Its findings possess practical applicability for government institutions which are oriented toward election security, safeguarding democratic processes and for analytical centers.