election tampering
Corrupting ballot outcomes
Election tampering is illegal interference with voting processes—manipulating ballots, altering vote counts, hacking voting machines, or obstructing voters.
The term covers actions by domestic actors or foreign governments: Evidence of Russian election tampering dominated the news cycle.
Distinguished from legal campaign tactics, election tampering constitutes fraud against democratic systems.
- vote riggingManipulating election outcomes dishonestly
- disinformation campaignsOrchestrated efforts spreading false data
- ballot stuffingFraudulent vote inflation
- hanging chadsIncompletely separated ballot perforations
- dead votersDeceased on voter rolls
voter suppression · astroturfing · dirty tricks · gerrymandering · propaganda · fearmongering · voter intimidation · poll watchers · coercion · bribery · double voting · denial-of-service attacks · dark money · smoke-filled rooms · foreign interference · data breaches · electronic surveillance · conspiracy theories
election tamperingelection monitoring
Scrutinizing voting for irregularities
voter protection · election integrity · electoral integrity · election security · ballot security
election tamperingpopular sovereignty
Populace holds ultimate authority
democratic participation · rule of law · democratic norms · democratic process · civic trust
election, elect, elected, electing, elects, elective, elector, electoral, electorate