Accountability in Online Campaigning

Supporting campaign oversight institutions, civil society, academics, and election observers to bring transparency and accountability to online campaigning.

The evolution of online campaigning continues to intensify globally, creating additional hurdles for the integrity of elections.  When political contestants, non-contestant campaigners and foreign actors can deploy divisive messaging and funnel money into influencing elections with no transparency or accountability, democracy suffers. Not only do democratic governments and civil society actors need more tools to understand online political campaigning, but it’s critical that the needs and experiences of a wider array of global voices are represented in conversations about data availability, evolving online campaigning tactics, and platform bureaucracy.  

IFES supports campaign oversight institutions, civil society, academics and election observers in their efforts to bring transparency and accountability to online campaigning by: 

  • Leading a Global Online Campaigning Transparency Community of Practice 

  • Working with regulators, judges and oversight bodies to address gaps in regulatory frameworks and enforcement 

  • Creating practical tools to monitor online spaces for abuse of state resources and campaign violations 

  • Assisting regulatory bodies in developing codes of conducts for online campaigning