Managing Inaccurate Election Information#

Inaccurate information about election administration and its processes is nothing new. Election officials have long worked to ensure voters know their rights and responsibilities–and don’t get misled by intentional or unintentional inaccuracies.

Both independent threat actors and large nation-states are capable of manufacturing inaccuracies about elections, and some unintentional mistakes will always happen. Threat actors may have hundreds of people on payroll, choose to conduct operations via automated bots, or both. When users encounter inaccurate information they may be unable to differentiate it from genuine information, sharing it and unwittingly influencing an even wider audience.

Increasingly, these threat actors use artificial intellience in their work. Certainly not all uses of artificial intelligence are nefarious, but it is a tool that can be employed to accelerate the pace of harmful activities and create more believable material. This guide also provides guidance on how to manage AI in elections.

Influencing the political environment through social discourse is a tactic observed in well-funded and complex information attacks, but actors may have competitive, financial, or other motivations as well. Attackers may try to popularize perspectives and viewpoints in target demographics that lead to certain policy or political outcomes. Appearing as authentic citizens or a real customer base on social media, individual accounts can appeal to users and align with their existing beliefs. Organizations and individuals alike then experience the pressure to act on what is perceived as recurring legitimate messaging but, in reality, is deception.

Often, inaccurate statements about elections are unintentional and just the result of misinformed individuals. As election officials, it’s not always important to understand the source or intent of the inaccurate information, but to simply address it to ensure the public has the most accurate, timely information about elections. That is the focus of this best practice.

Goals#

  1. Recognize how inaccurate information can impact election administration (Level 1 maturity)

  2. Take action when you encounter inaccurate information (Level 1 maturity)

Actions#

For Managing Inaccurate Election Information, the necessary actions are the same for all maturity levels.

Preparing for Inaccurate Information#

  1. Set up multi-factor authentication to protect social media accounts from compromise.

  2. Establish your office and its communication channels as the authority for information about your jurisdiction.

  3. Use a wide variety of public forums to share accurate information about your elections.

  4. Regularly publish official messaging about the state of your election infrastructure.

  5. Work with local media to promote official sources of information.

Remediating Inaccuracies#

  1. Establish your office and its communication channels as the authority for information about your jurisdiction by:

    • Communicating with your constituents early and often, and making sure they know the official way to get more information from you.

    • Securing your systems, including websites and social media accounts, to prevent things like deep fakes being posted on an official channel.

    • Signing up for a .gov website domain to signal your status as an official government organization

  2. Respond to inaccurate information with accurate information as quickly as possible. This rapid response is even more important as an election nears. These activities are sometimes called debunking or pre-bunking, but what’s important is that you are getting an accurate message out in a way that helps your voters and the public.

  3. Track important information by, for instance, following your county name and the names of your election official and other public figures in social media and new reports.

  4. Understand the increasing role of generative artificial intelligence in elections and what you can do about it.

Cost-Effective Tools#

  • The Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) Communications 101 Toolkit: A booklet to help election offices successfully communicate with the public, and plan for challenges that may arise throughout their work.

  • The EAC’s Election Official Social Media Toolkit: A centralized resource to streamline social media efforts, ensuring consistent and impactful communication.

  • The EAC’s Communications for Election Officials 101 YouTube video series: Short, practical resources on topics like writing key messages, identifying spokespeople, and choosing appropriate communication channels.

  • The National Association of Secretaries of State #TrustedInfo2024 site: NASS’s public education effort to promote election officials as the trusted sources of election information.

  • The National Association of State Election Directors FAQs: NASED compiled Frequently Asked Questions to provide high-level information about election administration.

  • The Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center publication, The Election Influence Operations Playbook: A document to provide advice and guidance for election officials to assist them in better understanding, countering, and responding to influence operations.

Mapping to CIS Controls and Safeguards#

  • There are no relevant CIS Controls.

Mapping to CIS Handbook Best Practices#

  • There are no relevant Handbook best practices