Date: Wednesday 2 June 2021, 1500 GMT

The regional electoral assistance project is organizing its 11th webinar about changing social media and its impact on elections. The aim of this webinar is to discuss the role of social media in changing elections and the electoral proces, and how electoral authorities respond to the role of social media in elections. It will be a good ooportunity to discuss the challenges that face EMBs to enter this new area of engagement especially that the internet has changed how people obtain, consume and share information, and it is changing media as we know it. It is also changing how we use and engage with the media during elections. The technology revolution has had significant benefits, and it has improved access to information and opened new avenues of engagement between and among electoral stakeholders including between electoral practitioners and the public.   

The increasing role of social media, reliance on artificial intelligence and new flows of information have created new opportunities, but also new and dangerous avenues for manipulating elections and negatively impacting the electoral processes and the trust of the people in their outcomes. It is really important to be aware aobut the regulatory requirements around social media and where do electoral authorities fall within this framework

The speakes will be

1. Ms. Amy Cohen, Director, US National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) to share lessons and best practices in tackling the challenges and opportunities social media presents for electoral authorities in the United States and the necessary partnerships for ensuring election integrity in the age of social media.

2. Mr. Nouri Lajmi, President, High Independent Authority of Audiovisual Commission (HAICA), Tunisia to discuss the role of social media in elections, its impact on the integrity of the electoral process and the joint efforts of HAICA and ISIE to spearhead the development of an innovative factchecking platform that tackles disinformation and misinformation during elections.

3. Mr. Sofienne Abidi, Independent High authority for Elections, Tunisia (ISIE) to share the challenges and opportunities social media presents for ISIE, its efforts to monitor social media during elections and recommendations on the role of electoral authorities in responding to the new media landscape.

4. Mr. Alex Krasodomski-Jones, Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, DEMOS to share information on the role of civil society organizations in safeguarding the integrity of elections and the latest research and trends on the impact of the internet and digital platforms on elections and democracy.