Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar today urged Election Management Bodies to streamline strategies for addressing challenges like cybersecurity threats and misinformation. He said this while addressing the inaugural session of the two-day conference organized by the Election Commission of India in New Delhi. Mr Kumar also emphasized the critical role of technology and digital innovations in enhancing efficiency, transparency and voter confidence. He added that while technology offers significant opportunities, it also brings challenges like cybersecurity threats and misinformation. Sounding a note of caution against fake narratives which erode trust in electoral processes, he said that such fake narratives are typically timed at crucial junctures of the election process to target its very vitals.
CEC Kumar also outlined key trends shaping the future of elections, including AI-driven processes, online and remote voting, biometric authentication and increased global collaboration and called all participants to explore the opportunities with technological advancements in making elections more transparent, inclusive and accessible. He underscored the role of EMBs in not only safeguarding electoral processes globally but also expanding their reach and impact.
This conference brings together representatives from Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of nearly 13 countries and international organizations for discussions on key issues of contemporary election management. Around 30 representatives from the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of 13 countries including Bhutan, Georgia, Namibia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Ireland, Mauritius, Philippines, Russian Federation, Tunisia, and Nepal are attending the conference. The theme of the conference is Global Election Year 2024: Reiteration of Democratic Spaces and Takeaways for Election Management Bodies.
The first day of the conference featured multiple sessions including the role of technology in election management, social media platforms and their impact on election management, promoting electoral equity for inclusive and accessible elections, and the importance of capacity building, training, and international cooperation.
On the second day of the conference tomorrow, the session will be held on the ‘Future of Elections’ for the democracies and will culminate in an ‘Outcome Document/ Declaration’ to imprint the shared commitment for better synergy and strengthening of elections and electoral democracies.