Guaranteeing the validity of elections on the local, state and federal levels will be a huge challenge this voting season especially with the such threats as foreign interference and fake news propaganda. While officials are taking steps to try and secure voting machines, it will take more efforts to secure all the moving parts powered by technology.Guaranteeing the validity of elections on the local, state and federal levels will be a huge challenge this voting season especially with the such threats as foreign interference and fake news propaganda. While officials are taking steps to try and secure voting machines, it will take more efforts to secure all the moving parts powered by technology.
Voting machines, no matter what form they take, represent the “hardware” of democracy, and as critical infrastructure are allotted the majority of resources. Without a trusted voting infrastructure, exercising our most-lauded Constitutional right is impossible. But – more important than infrastructure – reliable information from media constitutes a crucial “app” of democracy. Without reliable information from digital media, citizens cannot effectively carry out their civic duties or participate in government. And when the integrity of information voters’ access from the media is questioned, so too are election results. Media constitutes the “software” of democracy. Without media, forming an opinion is impossible. And when its integrity is compromised, the number of compromised votes can scale to millions. We need policy and one of our most advanced laws against media-election interference is the fairness doctrine, made during the age of radio. Other countries who understand the importance of media for national security and the integrity of elections are churning policies to fix it. From European laws mandating the “right to explanation” for an algorithm’s output, to the CNIL’s recommendation for similar legislation in France, the rest of the world is acting fast.