Daniel Calingaert is associate director of the Center for Democracy and Election Management and professorial lecturer at American University. He previously served as director for Asia and as deputy-director for Eastern Europe at the International Republican Institute.
Authoritarian regimes around the world hold elections and manipulate them every step of the way. How do we understand and work around the challenges these regimes pose to what should be a clean and democratic electoral process?
"Liberation technology" can help mobilize citizen protest and oust autocracies. Authoritarians can also use technology to stifle protest and target dissenters. Who will win the technological race between "netizens" demanding freedom and authoritarians determined to stay in power?
