Election Interference
Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election is just the tip of the iceberg. Fair elections with credible, honored results are a cornerstone of democratic ideals. Around the world, those elections are under threat from rival states and international networks of ideologically motivated radicals. We focus on cross-border, coordinated disinformation campaigns aimed at influencing voters or casting doubt on the electoral process.
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Latest News on Election Interference
President Trump’s conspiracy-theory-fueled plan to overturn his defeat in the 2020 elections targeted six states that President-elect Joe Biden narrowly won: Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and Georgia. All six of those states have now certified their vote counts—with recounts sometimes even increasing the victory margin for Biden. The confirmation of the results has correlated […]
By Abby Ohlheiser
Less than a week after Election Day, a spreadsheet titled “Battling Asian American Misinformation” began circulating in progressive Asian American social media circles, primarily among those of Vietnamese and Chinese descent. The most popular YouTube channels flagged on the spreadsheet accumulated hundreds of thousands of subscribers, in which pundits discussed misleading claims about election fraud, […]
By Terry Nguyen
Rapid disinformation attacks—i.e., attacks in which disinformation is unleashed quickly and broadly with the goal of creating an immediate disruptive effect—are one of the most significant challenges in the digital ecosystem. Consider the following hypothetical: On the morning of Election Day in a closely contested U.S. presidential election, supporters of one candidate launch a disinformation1 […]
By John Villasenor
Over the next week, the phrase “Stop the Steal” was used to promote dozens of rallies that spread false voter fraud claims about the U.S. presidential elections. New research from Avaaz, a global human rights group, the Elections Integrity Partnership and The New York Times shows how a small group of people — mostly right-wing […]
By Sheera Frenkel
Ahead of the U.S. election and in anticipation of a flood of misinformation around the vote, Alex Stamos, who directs the Stanford Internet Observatory, helped set up the Election Integrity Partnership to detect and mitigate election-related misinformation. This week on Lawfare‘s Arbiters of Truth series on disinformation, Stamos talks with Evelyn Douek and Quinta Jurecic […]
By Alex Stamos, Quinta Jurecic, & Evelyn Douek
President Trump’s conspiracy-theory-fueled plan to overturn his defeat in the 2020 elections targeted six states that President-elect Joe Biden narrowly won: Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and Georgia. All six of those states have now certified their vote counts—with recounts sometimes even increasing the victory margin for Biden. The confirmation of the results has correlated […]
By Abby OhlheiserLess than a week after Election Day, a spreadsheet titled “Battling Asian American Misinformation” began circulating in progressive Asian American social media circles, primarily among those of Vietnamese and Chinese descent. The most popular YouTube channels flagged on the spreadsheet accumulated hundreds of thousands of subscribers, in which pundits discussed misleading claims about election fraud, […]
By Terry NguyenRapid disinformation attacks—i.e., attacks in which disinformation is unleashed quickly and broadly with the goal of creating an immediate disruptive effect—are one of the most significant challenges in the digital ecosystem. Consider the following hypothetical: On the morning of Election Day in a closely contested U.S. presidential election, supporters of one candidate launch a disinformation1 […]
By John VillasenorOver the next week, the phrase “Stop the Steal” was used to promote dozens of rallies that spread false voter fraud claims about the U.S. presidential elections. New research from Avaaz, a global human rights group, the Elections Integrity Partnership and The New York Times shows how a small group of people — mostly right-wing […]
By Sheera FrenkelAhead of the U.S. election and in anticipation of a flood of misinformation around the vote, Alex Stamos, who directs the Stanford Internet Observatory, helped set up the Election Integrity Partnership to detect and mitigate election-related misinformation. This week on Lawfare‘s Arbiters of Truth series on disinformation, Stamos talks with Evelyn Douek and Quinta Jurecic […]
By Alex Stamos, Quinta Jurecic, & Evelyn Douek 
December 11, 2020