One Day Practitioner/Academic Workshop:

Date: Wednesday, September 10th, 2025

Location: Vancouver, BC (exact location TBD)

Co-Conveners: Holly Ann Garnett (RMC/Queens), Nicole Goodman (Brock University), Aengus Bridgeman (McGill University), Chris Tenove (University of British Columbia), Heidi Tworek (University of British Columbia), Mathieu Lavigne (Dartmouth College), Valere Gaspard (University of Ottawa)

Theme: How have new technologies impacted democratic elections? What should be done to enhance election participation and integrity going forward? This one-day workshop will bring together academics and practitioners to discuss the threats and opportunities that new technologies pose to key democratic institutions, in Canada and around the world.

DRAFT PROGRAMME


Timings and Panels subject to change without notice.

8:00 – 8:30

Breakfast And Networking

8:30 – 8:45

Welcome

8:45 – 10:15

Information Observatories Exchange


State Of The Federation - Panel 1 – Candidates and Campaigns

  • Election Integrity in the Digital Age: Federal and Provincial Responses to Cyberthreats in Canada, Andrea Lawlor (McMaster University) & Aiden McIlvaney (McMaster University)

  • If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! How Québec Political Parties Acted as a Cartel to Limit Regulation on the Use of Personal Data for Political Purposes, Thierry Giasson (Université Laval) & Thomas Larochelle (Université Laval)

  • Digital Disruption in Political Finance: Unlocking Campaign Access for Women through Online Fundraising, Gabrielle Bardall (Université Saint Anne)

Academic Panel 1 - Electoral Management

  • The Tense Relationship Between Partisan Control of Electoral Bodies and Technologic Solutions in Electoral Management: The Case of the 2025 Primary Elections in Honduras, Rafael Jerez Moreno (Technological Central American University)

  • Modernizing and Securing Voter Registration Databases: Challenges and Best Practices, Christopher Mann (Skidmore College and Center for Election Innovation & Research), Shaniqua Williams (West Virginia University & Research Fellow, CEIR), Kyle Upchurch (CEIR), Kira Flemke (CEIR), April Tan (CEIR)

  • Biometrics in Debate: Political Regulation, Hegemonic Struggles, and the Contested Technopolitical Reform in Cameroon, Yves Valéry Obame (The University of Bertoua/Ceresc & Geneva Africa Lab)

  • Electoral Integrity and Voter Turnout in the 2024 General Elections in Mexico: Insights from the Electronic Voting Machine Pilot Test, Irma Mendez (FLACSO Mexico)

  • The Penchant for Technology in Non-Democratic Elections: Evidence from Hong Kong, Kenneth Chan (Hong Kong Baptist University)

10:15 – 10:30

Coffee Break

10:30 – 12:00

Integrating Digital Media Literacy into the Post-Secondary Classroom

Facilitator: Matthew Johnson (MediaSmarts)

To thrive in a digital age, we all need to know how to access digital media, and how to use, understand, engage, and create media to our full potential. Post-secondary institutions have a critical role to play in supporting students’ digital media literacy. However, post-secondary classrooms remain an under-utilized resource in bolstering digital media literacy and helping to close the digital divide in Canada. MediaSmarts’ workshop on ‘Integrating Digital Media Literacy into the Post-Secondary Classroom’ will introduce post-secondary instructors and educators to MediaSmarts’ framework, key concepts, and core competencies for digital media literacy, and will highlight how educators, across all subject areas, can integrate digital media literacy into their pedagogy and classroom learning objectives

 

State Of The Federation – Panel 2 - Technology And The Voting Process

  • Elections BC’s technology-enabled voting and counting system, Aidan Brand (Elections British Columbia), Nolan Skolski (Royal Military College), Valere Gaspard (University of Ottawa) & Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College)

  • Territorial Experiences with Online Voting, Nicole Goodman (Brock University), Stephen Dunbar (Elections NWT), Maxwell Harvey (Elections Yukon)

  • Describing and Explaining Levels of Trust in Internet Voting in Nova Scotia Municipal Elections, Nicole Goodman (Brock University), Helen Hayes (McGill University), R. Michael McGregor (Toronto Metropolitan University) & Scott Pruysers (Dalhousie University).

Academic Panel 2 – Technology And Election Campaigns

  • Digital political campaigning and digital political literacy: experimental evidence from Europe, Gabriela Borz (University of Strathclyde), Cristina Mitrea (Babes-Bolyai University), Thomas Montgomerie (Babes-Bolyai University), Remi Almodt (Babes-Bolyai University), Anna Longhini (Babes-Bolyai University)

  • Electoral interference between democracies, Maria Linden (Finnish Institute of International Affairs), Sanna Salo (Finnish Institute of International Affairs), Ville Sinkkonen (Finnish Institute of International Affairs)

  • Rhetorical Pivoting in Campaigns, Sangmin Lee (University of Rochester), Seoyeon Kim (Emory University), Chamseul Yu (Texas A&M University)

  • Timing Populism, Seoyeon (Jenny) Kim (Emory University) & Anthony DeMattee (Carter Center)

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

Student Poster Forum

  • Authentic Democracy and Artificial Intelligence: Examining why Voters turn to AI for Electoral Information, Rosaline Leung (University of British Columbia)

  • Cyber Threats and Electoral Trust: Can Voter Confidence Be Inoculated?, Iris Ong (The Carter Center), Ryan Shandler (Georgia Institute of Technology), Olivia Leu (The Carter Center), Anthony DeMattee (The Carter Center)

  • Cybersecurity Challenges in Election Infrastructure: Safeguarding Democracy in Africa in the Digital Age, Shina Adesanya (Benson Idahosa University) & Edward Agbai (Emmanuel University)

  • Deepfakes and Trust in Elections: Lessons from South Korea, Sohyun Lim (University of British Columbia)

  • Election Branding and Public Trust: The Role of Image in Shaping Voter Confidence, Emily Carrillo (Georgia Institute of Technology, The Carter Center), Naomi Garcia-Hector (Georgia State University), Nicklas Stein (University of Illinois), Ryan Shandler (Georgia Institute of Technology), Anthony DeMattee (the Carter Center)

  • Election Integrity from the Associated Press behind the 2024 Cycle in the United States, Margaret Rhoads (The George Washington University)

  • Misinformation in the Electoral Process: A Cross-Canada Policy Review and Reform Strategy, Kennedy Bond (Nipissing University)

  • Non-State Cyber Threat Activity in Canada (2015-2025), Oliver Batchilder (Mount Allison University)

  • Perceptions of Voting Technologies: A Study of Trust in British Columbia’s 2024 Provincial Elections, Nolan Skolski (Royal Military College of Canada)

13:00 – 14:30

State Of The Federation – Panel 3 – Civic Education & Public Participation

  • It comes with the territory: Evaluating the effect of recent Elections Act amendments on vote turnout and accessibility in the Yukon, Sara McPhee-Knowles (Yukon University) & Rebecca Major (Yukon University)

  • Enhancing Democratic Engagement through Digital Innovations: The Connect, Educate & Activate Framework, Sydney Penner (Apathy is Boring) & Erika De Torres (Apathy is Boring)

  • Teaching Digital Literacy as Civic Literacy to Prepare the Next Generation of Voters, Dimitri Pavlounis (CIVIX) and Agata Soroko (University of California, Riverside)

Academic Panel 3 - Artificial Intelligence And Elections

  • Generative AI’s Implications for Democratic Elections in a World at Risk: A Dahlian Perspective, Robert T.F. Downes (University of Connecticut)

  • Can artificial intelligence be harnessed to enhance electoral oversight? Sam Power (University of Bristol), Gilsun Jeong (University of Sussex), Katharine Dommett (University of Sheffield), Adam Sheingate (Johns Hopkins University)

  • Artificial Elections, Michael Pal (University of Ottawa)

  • Generative Artificial Intelligence in Election Campaigning - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Fernanda Buril (IFES) & Matt Bailey (IFES)

  • Visual Platforms and Generative AI: Effects on Political Discourse and Policy Preference in the 2024 U.S. Elections, Ho-Chun Herbert Chang (Darthmouth College)

Tabletop Exercise 1

Facilitator(s): Chris Tenove, Heidi Tworek, TBD

In these interactive sessions, participants will work in teams to respond to an election interference “scenario.” Tabletop exercises can help reveal practical challenges that may be faced when elections are threatened, and expose gaps in knowledge or institutional policies. Come prepared to take on a role such as intelligence analyst, election management professional, or nihilistic influencer, and respond to a technologically-facilitated election threat.

Participants are invited to take part in either Tabletop Exercise 1 or 2 if desired. Advance registration for these sessions is required.

14:30 – 14:45

Coffee Break

14:45 – 16:15

Academic Panel 4 - (Dis)Information

  • Mapping (Dis)Information Networks: Bolsonarismo’s Digital Strategy for Antidemocratic Mobilization, Andressa Liegi Vieira Costa (University of Lisbon)

  • Democratic Discourse in Encrypted Spaces: WhatsApp's Role in the Online Information Environment During Sri Lanka's 2024 Elections, Olivia Leu (The Carter Center), Iris Ong (The Carter Center), Elias Davis (The Carter Center), Claire Goldman (The Carter Center), Daniel Richardson (The Carter Center), Sairah Zaidi (The Carter Center), Anthony J. DeMattee (The Carter Center)

  • Electoral Integrity and Mis/Dis-information: Combating Mis/Disinformation in Countries with Digital Divide - Lessons from Liberia, Lenka Homolkova (Masaryk University), Jan Holzer (Masaryk University)

  • Unveiling the Unseen Dynamics: A Qualitative Analysis of Gendered Disinformation and Its Impact on Silencing Women in Local Politics, Mohammadu Careem Rasmin (International Foundation for Digital Child), Sairah Zaidi (The Carter Center), Gabrielle Bardall (Dalhousie University)

  • Social media and AI-Driven Political Advertising: Ethical and Regulatory Implications- Lessons from the 2023 elections in Nigeria, Friday Ovenseri-Ogbomo (Benson Idahosa University) & Shina Adesanya (Benson Idahosa University)

Academic Panel 5 – Engaging Citizens

  • Citizens’ involvement in election administration reform, Leontine Loeber (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

  • Engaging the Public in Digital Policy Making, Clifton van der Linden (McMaster University), Andrea Lawlor (McMaster University), John McAndrews (McMaster University)

  • Standby Citizenship in the Attention Economy: Democracy, Spectatorship, and the Digital Arena, Erik Severson (University of British Columbia)

  • Distributed Truth—Could Blockchain Communities form Consensus point to the Future of Democracy? Victoria Lemieux (University of British Columbia)

Tabletop Exercise 2

See description above. Participants are invited to take part in either Tabletop Exercise 1 or 2 if desired. Advance registration for these sessions is required.

16:30 – 17:00

Reception And Student Poster Forum

Deadlines and process:

  • Deadline for paper proposals (250–500 word abstract): March 31, 2025.

  • Notification of acceptance will be communicated to authors in April 2025.

  • Academic Track and Canadian Tracks only: Deadline for full papers (no more than 10,000 words, including references) to be uploaded on the website ahead of the conference: September 1st, 2025.

  • Conference date: September 10, 2025.


For more information, please visit: https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/upcoming-events

 

Workshop Sponsors:

Supported by: