This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Elections across the world faced a wide range of pressures on electoral integrity in 2025, from violence and misinformation and disinformation to electoral management malfunctions, cyberattacks and natural hazards, according to a new report. The report, Review of the 2025 Year of Elections: Inclusivity, Transparency and Trust, from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), was written in collaboration with the Electoral Integrity Project and co-authored by Toby James, professor of politics and public policy at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
It examines 39 countries that held national elections in 2025 and looks at both the risks facing elections and how electoral institutions are responding, with a particular focus on inclusivity, transparency and trust. "The report shows that all countries, large or small, are facing challenges in ensuring that elections truly empower people. But it also shows the value of drawing lessons across borders," said James, who also co-edited the report.
"Challenges such as the role of money in elections, election disinformation and political polarization are not confined to single countries. Efforts to improve elections should therefore be global as well." Electoral campaigns remain a particularly vulnerable part of the electoral cycle. The report also points to growing pressure on media integrity and campaign finance, as declining press freedom and increasingly digital financial flows create new challenges for electoral processes.
Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly. Despite these pressures, the report finds that election quality remained broadly stable. It also documents how electoral management bodies and other actors are testing new ways to respond to these pressures, strengthen confidence in electoral processes and improve their ability to withstand disruption.
"Election authorities are being asked to manage increasingly complex risks, from disinformation and violence to natural hazards and operational disruption," said Erik Asplund, senior adviser at International IDEA. "This report shows why anticipating these risks, strengthening institutional capacity and working with partners are essential to protecting elections and public trust." Across nine chapters and 20 case studies, the report examines examples of innovation from around the world, including changes to voting arrangements, the use of digital tools, regulatory reforms, risk-management measures and new forms of cooperation. While not every initiative produced the intended results, the examples offer practical lessons on how electoral management can evolve in response to changing political, technological and environmental conditions.
Holly-Ann Garnet, a professor from the Royal Military College of Canada, said, "New challenges to electoral integrity require innovative solutions. This report highlights some of the important steps being taken around the world to strengthen the quality of elections, as well as issues that require attention moving forward." The report follows International IDEA's review of the 2024 election Super-Cycle, when more than 70 national-level elections brought renewed attention to the role of elections in shaping and maintaining democracy. This new report examines what the experience of 2025 reveals about both continuing threats to electoral integrity and the ways electoral institutions are responding.
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