2024 Elections: The Threat of AI-Generated Disinformation 

With the 2024 election season well underway, there has been increasing discussion and speculation about the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in a world increasingly reliant on digital content and online information sharing.

A big part of these conversations has focused on AI-generated disinformation. Now more than in any time in recent history, AI provides the means to generate and exponentially distribute election content quickly online, whether authentic or not.

Disinformation is already becoming a problem for candidates, election offices and voter outreach groups. For immigrants and communities of color – who can often face language barriers, distrust democratic systems and lack technology access – the challenge is likely to be even more significant.

Last month, political strategist Bill Wong and I discussed this challenge in an OpEd published in the Los Angeles Times.

Entitled AI is turbocharging disinformation attacks on voters, especially in communities of color, the article lays out the difficulties of AI-generated disinformation circulating around candidates and elections, and how vulnerable voting populations are particularly at risk for being targeted and misled by fake news.

The impact of AI on disinformation underscores the importance of fostering continued conversation and analysis of the issue. To help keep the issue front and center, CID will be hosting a webinar Wednesday June 5 about the dangers of AI, social media, and what can be done to protect democracy. Please mark the date – details coming soon!

In partnership,

Mindy Romero, Ph.D.

Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy

New CID Webinar Series on Voter Turnout and Outreach in California

Will Voters Turn Out in November?: Opportunities and Challenges to Conducting Voter Outreach in 2024

This webinar series will take an in-depth look at new CID research on how voters navigate getting election-related information, respond to outreach messaging, and ultimately decide on the method of casting their ballot. The series also provides further insight into the work of community mobilizing efforts and how they work within the California election system (barriers and opportunities) while seeking to reach voters and potential voters, particularly among historically underrepresented communities. 

At each webinar, CID will release a new research report corresponding with the webinar's topic focus. Webinar sessions will be held Tuesdays in May and June at noon (pacific time) - starting May 14.

Session One:

California’s Ballot Tracking Service: Who is Using it and How Does it Impact Voter Confidence and Behavior?

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. PT

For information on the topics and dates of the full webinar series, see CID's event page.

TechEquity’s AI Education Series: AI and Elections

CID’s Mindy Romero will be among the panelists at this event exploring how AI can fuel disinformation and potential strategies for combatting it during the 2024 elections. 

Friday, May 3, 12 – 1pm

Eureka Room

California State Capitol in Sacramento

Election Sciences, Reform, and Administration (ESRA) Conference 2024

Held at the University of Southern California this year, the ERSA Conference brings together election experts from academia, state and local government, non-profits, and research institutes to develop empirical approaches to the study of how law and administrative procedures affect the quality of elections in the United States. CID’s Mindy Romero and USC's Christian Grose are the conference’s co-hosts this year. Registration is full.

May 16-17, 2024

Ralph and Goldy Lewis Hall

University of Southern California

The National Academy of Public Administration's Comparative Electoral Practices Report

Protecting Free and Fair Elections: The Vital Role of Election Administration

The authors identified three foundational pillars of election administration: voter experience, election security, and election workforce, along with leading practices in jurisdictions around the country for consideration.

Election Official Turnover Rates from 2000-2024

A growing chorus of government officials, media and election observers are concerned that high turnover among election administrators might undermine smooth election operations and lead to lower confidence in the electoral process. This new study explores election official turnover from 2000-2024. 

The 2024 U.S. Election, Trust, and Technology Preparing for a Perfect Storm of Threats to Democracy

This paper from Rand identifies and discusses the vulnerabilities associated with three assets required for fair, democratic elections: physical (e.g., voting machines), human (e.g., election officials), and reputational (e.g., public confidence in elections). The authors discuss how a perfect storm could arise if seemingly unrelated threats target these assets simultaneously.

Spring 2024: Harvard Youth Poll

A national poll by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School indicates that among 18-to-29-year-olds nationwide, more than half say they will definitely be voting in the Presidential election this fall. But findings show that among those likely voters, levels of support varied significantly among different subgroups.

New Voting Laws in Swing States Could Shape 2024 Election

Washington Post: States have made the rules that govern elections either tighter or looser in the run-up to the 2024 vote. Whether Americans will have an easier or harder time casting a ballot than they did in 2020 will depend on where they live.

As Civil Rights Era Fades from Memory, Generation Gap Divides Black Voters

NY Times: Many older Black voters see moral and political reasons to vote. According to this article, younger Black voters feel less motivated to cast a ballot for Democrats or even at all.

LA Times



The state of California has had a total of 40 governors, but not one was ever a woman. CID’s Mindy Romero comments that it’s the proverbial glass ceiling for women when it comes to the governorship in the state.

Huffington Post



Wisconsin will be pivotal to winning the presidential election in November, and young voters there will be an important target for both parties. However, college-aged voters tend to be “more of a wild card” and turn out in lower numbers for elections, commented CID’s Mindy Romero. “But they are still formidable. Their sheer numbers mean they have the ability, when an election is close, to potentially swing an election.”