Digital Threats to Elections: Learning From What Has Worked in Africa

Digital threats to elections are increasingly evolving, posing significant risks to democratic institutions and potentially inciting electoral violence. Various international, national, and local organisations are working to counter these threats, but determining which strategies have been effective is challenging. Additionally, limited resources and time constraints often prevent these organisations from learning from previous election experiences. In response, the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) conducted a study over the past year, engaging with over 100 experts and practitioners from civil society organisations, governments, international bodies, and election assistance funders across Africa.

This study, inspired by German and UNDP initiatives to reform funding structures for democratic elections in Africa, seeks to extract insights from successful case examples to inform donor and implementer strategies against digital election threats, both in Africa and globally. The research identified four key "building blocks for success" in programs that successfully mitigated digital threats to elections in Africa. Recognising the limitations in available funding, the study also examined how varying levels of investment—high, medium, and low—can support these critical building blocks.