The debate over election interference is often framed as an issue of whether foreign governments should be allowed to meddle in the electoral processes of other nations. But the debate should actually be focused on how to protect elections from domestic abuses of information and communication technologies.
Election interference is not just about tampering with ballots or influencing candidates and voters, it also encompasses the pervasive, everyday interactions that are the lifeblood of democracy—debates, arguments, and even the casual chats between neighbors or baristas. Yet these everyday activities are increasingly subject to hostile influence campaigns, which seek to erode trust in the legitimacy of elections and to shape citizens’ motivations, attitudes, and contexts.
For example, studies show that trolls and bots are now able to infiltrate social media platforms with the aim of sowing political discord and distorting public discourse. And digital tools like doxing and mishandling voter files can expose individuals to harassment, intimidation, and unwarranted “purges” of their rights and liberties.
The Trump administration’s response to these threats, which has involved criminal investigations and prosecutions of election officials and nonprofit employees, is harmful in many ways. First, it reveals a deep hypocrisy. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the United States assiduously intervened in the electoral processes of other nations, supporting or funding civic, pro-democracy organizations in many countries. This intervention was sometimes covert but in the late twentieth century, it increasingly took the form of open support and funding for opposition politicians.