The new report, Safeguarding Irish Election Integrity in the Era of Emerging Digital Threats, examines a range of emerging risks to democratic processes, including disinformation and misinformation, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity threats, foreign interference, and the role of online platforms in political discourse.

The report notes that, while Ireland benefits from a strong and trusted electoral system, rapid technological developments and a changing information environment require ongoing vigilance and adaptation to protect public confidence in the electoral process.

The paper adopts a broad conception of election integrity, recognising that free and fair elections depend not only on the administration of voting, but also on the wider regulatory, technological, and information environment in which elections take place.

Among its recommendations, the report calls for:

• stronger coordination between public bodies responsible for safeguarding elections;
• continued preparedness for emerging technological risks, including AI-generated content;
• enhanced public awareness and media literacy initiatives;
• greater transparency in political advertising and online campaigning; and
• ongoing review of electoral and regulatory frameworks to ensure they remain fit for purpose.

The paper concludes by stating that “open and free elections are the cornerstone of democracy”, but that history offers “many examples of attempts to undermine elections in pursuit of political goals, or to undermine the legitimacy of the government in power”.

Protecting election integrity, it says, “requires more than the regulation of online content. It requires democratic resilience: effective institutions, informed citizens, independent journalism, trusted public information, robust research capacity, and coordinated responses to emerging threats.”