Information Disorder and Electoral Integrity: The Impact of Disinformation on Elections in Developing Democracies

This chapter examines how electoral disinformation undermines voting integrity in developing democracies of the Global South. Integrating perspectives from political communication, media-system studies, and democratic theory, it traces how algorithmic micro-targeting, coordinated campaigns by populist elites, and bot networks amplify false or malicious content. Using the disinformation–misinformation–malinformation typology, the authors show how information disorder interacts with eroding public trust, delegitimizes electoral institutions, and can trigger post-election unrest. Particular focus falls on social-media ecosystems, political influencers, and automated infrastructures that distort debate and fracture deliberation. The chapter also reviews institutional, media, and civil-society counter-measures—from EU and Canadian regulatory models to Brazil’s digital-literacy initiatives—while highlighting structural hurdles such as digital income inequality and government resistance to transparency. Ultimately, the analysis argues for comprehensive, society-wide strategies that combine informed civic engagement, ethical media practice, and transnational governance to protect elections against manipulated information and bolster democratic resilience in the digital age.