Cyber capacity building for elections

Building cyber resilience across the electoral cycle

From biometric voter registration to real-time result dashboards, digital systems are increasingly underpinning every stage of the electoral process. But as innovation accelerates, so too does the complexity of securing these systems against disruption, manipulation, or breakdown. It’s not just traditional cybersecurity threats that election officials must navigate. The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduces new risks: 

“AI-powered tools have become much more widely available and capable in recent years. They have the potential to benefit society and election offices but can also accelerate false or biased information and undermine fair elections if used inappropriately. While these tools do not necessarily introduce new cybersecurity risks, AI tools may allow existing threats to scale more quickly and effectively.” 

These evolving challenges require more than technical fixes, they demand foresight, coordination, and sustained investment in digital resilience. As countries prepare for upcoming elections, now is the time to strengthen cyber capacity across the entire electoral cycle.

Advantages and risks of technology in elections

The introduction of new technologies often involves trade-offs, with benefits in some areas balanced by new challenges in others—and technology in elections is no exception. Whilst technology has the potential to enhance election efficiency, accuracy, and engagement, it can also introduce vulnerabilities and complexities that impact trust and security, and create additional costs. Technology brings clear advantages to electoral processes. It can streamline logistics, improve access for remote or marginalised communities, enable faster tabulation and publication of results, and strengthen transparency when paired with auditability. Yet these benefits also come with risks. Vulnerabilities in software or infrastructure can open doors to disruption, delay, or miscommunication. When something goes wrong—whether due to human error, system failure, or external interference—it can damage public trust, even if the results themselves are sound. 

Cyber capacity needs across the electoral cycle

As outlined in the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Cybersecurity for Elections: A Guide on Best Practice, elections unfold across three key phases—each with distinct cybersecurity implications. Cyber capacity building should align with these stages to support both technical readiness and public trust.

Pre-election phase

• Secure voter registration systems and online party platforms.

• Audit digital tools for party registration, membership, and campaign finance.

• Strengthen supply chain security (e.g., ballot papers, biometric devices).

• Conduct technical readiness testing, staff training, and cyber exercises.

Election period

• Ensure polling systems are protected and operational (paper, digital, or hybrid).

• Support incident response capabilities for EMBs and IT teams.

• Monitor digital platforms for operational disruptions.

• Safeguard result transmission systems under time pressure.

Post-election phase

• Conduct system audits and preserve digital evidence for legal review.

• Support after-action reviews and technical lessons learned.

• Identify areas for reform to improve future digital resilience.

This structured, phased approach ensures cybersecurity is embedded across the full lifecycle of an election—not treated as a last-minute patch.

Key stakeholders in building digital resilience for elections

Protecting electoral processes requires coordination across a diverse set of actors. These can be grouped into four key categories:

1. Core electoral actors: Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and local authorities are responsible for organising elections and managing key systems like voter registration and results reporting. Many have limited permanent staff and rely on temporary teams, creating challenges for sustained cybersecurity planning and readiness.

2. Technical and infrastructure enablers: Cybersecurity agencies, CERTs, telecom providers, and election technology vendors maintain the infrastructure and digital tools elections rely on. Their role includes threat monitoring, incident response, and ensuring the reliability of digital systems throughout the electoral cycle.

3. Oversight, regulation, and integrity stakeholders: Regulators, data protection authorities, and election tribunals oversee compliance, transparency, and legal safeguards. They are critical for monitoring campaign conduct, protecting voter data, and managing disputes, especially when digital platforms are involved.

4. Public engagement and external partners: Political parties, civil society, media, and international donors influence trust, transparency, and capacity-building. Their involvement supports both public confidence and the delivery of technical assistance and training.

Cyber capacity building must account for this broad ecosystem; helping stakeholders understand their roles, improve coordination, and strengthen the digital foundations of democratic processes.

How cyber capacity building supports secure elections

Strengthening cybersecurity around elections requires more than reactive fixes—it demands a proactive, whole-of-system approach. As cyber and AI-enabled threats continue to evolve, electoral systems must be prepared not only to detect and respond to incidents, but to anticipate and neutralise vulnerabilities before they are exploited. This includes continuous monitoring, regular system audits, and simulation exercises to test how institutions and teams perform under pressure. Proactive measures help ensure that core infrastructure—such as voter registration systems, results transmission platforms, and biometric tools—are not only technically sound, but also resilient to social engineering and digital manipulation tactics that can scale rapidly with the aid of artificial intelligence.

Effective cyber capacity building works across three levels: Individual, organisational, and enabling environment. At the individual level, training and mentorship help equip election staff, vendors, and cybersecurity professionals with the skills needed to secure systems and respond to incidents. Organisational capacity focuses on developing clear roles, workflows, and coordination between stakeholders—particularly between EMBs, cybersecurity agencies, and technology providers. At the broader enabling environment level, the focus is on ensuring that legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks support digital resilience—from procurement and supply-chain practices and vendor standards to data protection laws and political buy-in. Without addressing these foundational layers, even the best technical interventions may fall short. 

Cybersecurity is also just one part of a broader system of election resilience. Threats to electoral integrity can emerge through a range of vectors, including cyber or physical security incidents, disruptions to infrastructure, and challenges in the information environment. Capacity-building efforts should therefore support a holistic approach; one that strengthens not only digital systems, but also the physical protection of polling places and data centres, continuity planning for core infrastructure, and clear communication mechanisms that reinforce public confidence. When taken together, these elements form a more resilient foundation for democratic processes to function securely and transparently.

Scaling election security through international action

Around the world, international partners are increasingly recognising the need to invest in cyber capacity building as a means of supporting secure and credible elections. 

• In preparation for the 2024 European Parliament elections, the EU conducted a major cybersecurity exercise involving national authorities, EU institutions, and agencies like ENISA and CERT-EU. The initiative tested crisis response plans, improved coordination, and strengthened collective readiness to address cyber incidents and hybrid threats—demonstrating the EU’s commitment to safeguarding election integrity across Member States.
• The Commonwealth Secretariat, in addition to sharing its best practice guide, has also provided training to senior officials from EMBs in the Asia-Pacific region to help protect electoral processes from cybersecurity threats.
• The Organsiation of American States (OAS) Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation (DECO) supports electoral bodies across the Americas by promoting the effective use of technology throughout the electoral process. Through its innovation and technology program, it provides technical cooperation, capacity building, and peer exchange to address challenges related to cybersecurity, data governance, and artificial intelligence. 

These examples reflect a growing global commitment to proactive, collaborative approaches that protect the integrity of democratic processes—and highlight the critical role cyber capacity building can play in making that possible.

Let’s build resilience together

Elections are increasingly targeted by cyber threats; from influence operations to attacks on critical infrastructure. PGI works with governments and international partners to build the resilience needed to protect democratic processes. Our experience includes designing national cybersecurity centres to improve coordination and response, developing incident playbooks for critical infrastructure sectors, and delivering intelligence reporting on hostile activity targeting elections. We’ve also trained cyber professionals across domains like threat intelligence, digital forensics, and incident response, including a regional programme for female incident responders from 16 countries. Whether it’s supporting policy development, technical assurance, or inclusive capacity building, PGI helps partners strengthen the systems that underpin electoral integrity.

If your organisation is preparing for upcoming elections or interested in practical ways to support secure and inclusive democratic processes, we invite you to connect with us.

To learn more, email us at findoutmore@pgitl.com to request a copy of our white paper: Securing democracy: Building digital resilience across the electoral cycle.