Chief Electoral Officer Tamil Nadu

IIIDEM concludes the phased rounds of its Certification Programme for State Level Master Trainers, conducted between 18 September and 30 October 2026, with 88 trainers certified against a target of 97 across five thematic groups. Each certification is valid for five years. The programme covered five core areas of election administration: Nomination Process; Election Planning and Operations; Monitoring and Enforcement; Electoral Rolls; and Voting and Counting. Participants were assessed not only on their subject knowledge, but also on their ability to train adult learners, explain electoral procedures and deliver structured learning to other election officials. The central aim is to build a network of certified trainers across States and Union Territories who can carry this learning forward. As State Subject Matter Experts, SLMTs will train and mentor District Level Master Trainers and support Chief Electoral Officers in meeting state-level training needs. Aligned with IIIDEM’s strategic pillar of Strengthening National Programmes, the initiative advances a consistent, competency-based approach to election training. By investing in the people who train election officials, IIIDEM is helping build lasting institutional capacity and strengthen the professional standards that underpin free, fair and credible elections. @ECISVEEP #IIIDEM #ECI #SLMT #MasterTrainers #CapacityBuilding #ElectionManagement

What if your election management body is already using AI without fully realising it? And before introducing a new AI tool, how do you decide what it should and what should never be allowed to do? These are the questions our participants from 10 African countries explored across 4 sessions on Day 2 of AI and Electoral Integrity Workshop for the African Region at IIIDEM Campus. They applied the Global Model Strategy’s guiding principles and electoral AI red lines to distinguish prohibited uses from those that may proceed with safeguards. These 35 electoral practitioners also mapped AI already present in their institutions, looking beyond purpose-built systems to AI features embedded in existing software, whether centrally approved or used independently across departments. This exercise helped them identify less visible applications and consider where stronger oversight may be needed. IIIDEM also put special emphasis on governance arrangements in place. Participants began drafting terms of reference for AI Governance Committees suited to their EMBs’ laws and structures, considering leadership approvals, the choice of chair and regional representation. The work helped translate broad principles into practical institutional measures—understanding existing AI use, identifying gaps and building oversight mechanisms suited to each institution. It is part of IIIDEM’s wider effort to help EMBs govern AI responsibly and safeguard electoral integrity, furthering pushing India’s 2026 Chairship of the Council of Member States of International IDEA and its thematic priorities. @ECISVEEP #AIandElections #ElectoralIntegrity #ResponsibleAI

Suppose an AI-related crisis stricken just days before an election. How fast your Election Management Body respond with clarity and accountability? As AI becomes more capable and integrated, these are not some mere probability but actual challenges waiting around the corner to hit whether you are ready or not. On Day 3 of AI and Electoral Integrity Workshop for the African Region at IIIDEM Campus, participants assessed their EMBs against the Global Model Strategy’s seven strategic pillars, using documented evidence to identify gaps, determine priority areas and consider which AI applications their institutions were ready to govern. They then classified proposed AI uses against risk criteria, examining potential harm to rights, data security and public trust, and the safeguards needed before such applications could proceed. Discussions also explored how election laws, platform conduct and transparency shape public trust, including situations where an EMB’s legal powers may be limited. The day culminated in a 72-hour election crisis simulation, in which participants took on roles within a fictional National Electoral Commission and responded to scenarios involving a false polling-postponement video, a compromised social media account, a cloned-voice instruction to move ballot boxes, discrepancies in an AI-assisted count check and fabricated intimate images used for online harassment. Teams had to determine who should make decisions, what actions to take first, how to communicate with the public and which partners to engage. The exercise helped participants identify preparedness gaps and translate them into practical priorities for their own institutions—advancing IIIDEM’s wider effort to strengthen responsible AI governance and safeguard electoral integrity, in line with the priorities of India’s 2026 Chairship of the Council of Member States of International IDEA. @ECISVEEP #IIIDEM #ElectoralIntegrity #AIGovernance