Election interference

An 1839 speech by William H. Roane of Virginia regarding a bill on election interference by federal officials, readable pdf

Election interference generally refers to efforts to change the outcome of an election, especially by illegitimate means. Kinds of election interference may include:

• Electoral fraud, illegal interference with the process of an election
  • Vote buying, when a political party or candidate distributes money to a voter with the expectation that they will vote for them
  • Voter impersonation, when an eligible voter votes more than once or a non-eligible voter votes under the name of an eligible one
• Foreign electoral intervention, attempts by governments to influence elections in another country ^[1]
• Illegal electioneering, such as campaigning or wearing political apparel too close to a polling place ^{[2] [3]}
• Recruiting candidates with identical or similar names to an existing one, intended to confuse voters ^[4]
• Where prohibited, the use of public funds to persuade voters to vote in a certain way ^{[5] [6] [7]}

During the Cold War the United States and Russia engaged in election interference. ^[8] David Shimer wrote the book Rigged; America, Russia, and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference published in 2021. ^[9]

More recently there have been various assertions of election interference across party lines and internationally. Wikipedia has entries on:

• Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
• Chinese government interference in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections
• Russian interference in the 2020 United States elections
• Foreign interference in the 2024 United States elections
• Iranian interference in the 2024 United States elections
• Russian interference in the 2024 United States elections

See also

• List of foreign electoral interventions
• Artificial intelligence and elections  – Use and impact of AI on political elections
• Election audit, a review conducted to determine whether votes were counted accurately or whether proper procedures were followed
• Election security, the protection of elections and voting infrastructure from cyberattack or cyber threat
• Election subversion, changing the result of a legitimate election outcome ^[10]
• Lawfare

References

1. Wang, Yiling (June 2022). "Jens David Ohlin, Election Interference: International Law and the Future of Democracy" . Chinese Journal of International Law. 21 (2): 401–404. doi:10.1093/chinesejil/jmac005 – via EBSCOhost.
2. Magazine, Smithsonian; Keller, Kate. "Why Are There Laws That Restrict What People Can Wear to the Polls?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
3. Savage, David (May 27, 1992). "Ban on Polling Place Solicitations Upheld : Law: The high court sees infringement upon First Amendment but rules that states have compelling interest to prevent intimidation and fraud". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
4. Allsop, Jon (August 27, 2024). "The Election-Interference Merry-Go-Round". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved September 3, 2024. In October, 2020, Bob Ferguson, the attorney general of Washington State, launched an initiative to combat 'election interference'... This year, Ferguson ran for governor of Washington, as a Democrat. So, too, did Bob Ferguson, and Bob Ferguson. The latter Fergusons—a retired state employee and a military veteran, respectively—were recruited as candidates by Glen Morgan, a conservative activist. ('If I had started a little bit earlier, I would have been able to have six Bob Fergusons,' Morgan told the Seattle Times.) Allies of the original Ferguson accused Morgan of deliberately trying to confuse voters; in a tweet, Ferguson called the gambit 'election interference' and pointed out that the other Fergusons could be prosecuted under state law if they didn't withdraw.
5. Meltzer, Marc (April 22, 1978). "Richland vote material will not be distributed". Newspapers.com. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 20. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
6. Behland, Beth (November 10, 1991). "Logo likeness spurs debate over conflict". Newspapers.com. Southtown Star (Illinois). p. 1. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
7. "Election Interference Claimed". Newspapers.com. Sun Post News (UPI). September 30, 1976. p. 2. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
8. https://books.google.com/books?id=8cd1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA117&dq=election+interference+chile&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjP4_vb8_6OAxV-SzABHS9hHjsQ6AF6BAgFEAM
9. https://books.google.com/books?id=G4BDEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA57&dq=election+interference+chile&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjP4_vb8_6OAxV-SzABHS9hHjsQ6AF6BAgKEAM
10. Dorn, Sara. "Trump Files Motion To Dismiss Federal Election Interference Charges". Forbes. Retrieved September 3, 2024.