Misinformation biggest threat to electoral processes: CEC at National Voters Day
CEC Rajiv Kumar highlighted misinformation as a major threat to democracy, urging political parties to avoid fake narratives and improve voter turnout.
Chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar reiterated that misinformation is the biggest threat to democratic processes around the world, and is being used to discredit electoral processes in India and elsewhere. His remarks came a day after a dozen election management bodies, including the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Russia’s Central Election Commission, adopted the Delhi Declaration, through which they have created a working group, which will collectively negotiate with Big Tech companies — which are largely American — on issues related to online disinformation, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
“I consider it to be the single biggest threat to the democratic process worldwide,” Kumar said on Saturday. “Along with this, external interference in elections, cyber attacks, divisive campaigning are also some of the challenges that are increasing across the world,” he said.
Law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, too, said that the potential of “using AI to spread propaganda to mislead voters must not be underestimated”. He said that steps needed to be taken in this regard.
In his remarks, CEC told the political parties that while the ECI will “sincerely and humbly consider” and give written responses to and act upon their questions and suggestions to improve the electoral process, “we should avoid fake narratives”.
He said that while voter turnout had improved in the last few elections, there was still a long way to go. He especially appealed to urban voters and young voters to vote. Low voter turnouts in urban areas have been a persistent concern for the ECI for the last few years. To that effect, CEC had previously said that state assembly elections for Delhi, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand were deliberately scheduled for Wednesdays so that voters can’t go on long weekends and skip voting.
Kumar also asked political parties to “refrain from disruptive campaigning” so that the youth are not disenchanted with the electoral process.
This was the fifth and last time that Kumar addressed the National Voters Day event. He is set to retire on February 18. He became an election commissioner (EC) in September 2020, and the CEC in May 2022.
Election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that while the ECI regularly uses new technologies for the ease of voters, only technologies that are “safe and acceptable are put to use”.
Meghwal talked about the One Nation, One Election Bill that is currently being deliberated upon by a joint parliamentary committee. “I am fully confident that after the implementation of important electoral reforms, India will touch new heights of good governance and administration,” he said.
