Elections authority in New Brunswick warns of significant obstacles jeopardizing fair and democratic balloting.

In its most recent annual report, Elections New Brunswick has outlined three major challenges it is currently facing. The agency has expressed concern over the destabilizing impact of disinformation, supercharged by artificial intelligence and social media, on democratic processes like elections.

The report highlights a lack of safeguards for protecting people's information when shared with political candidates. This concern is compounded by the agency's outdated management system, which may be vulnerable to threats and weaknesses.

Elections New Brunswick has identified weaknesses and threats to its election management software. However, it is not clear from the information provided what measures the agency currently has in place to combat disinformation campaigns or to protect people's information from such campaigns.

The rise in foreign and domestic disinformation campaigns is a significant challenge for Elections New Brunswick. The report does not provide details on the nature of the disinformation campaigns faced by the agency, nor does it specify what rules are needed to protect voter privacy or people's information from such campaigns.

The agency is also facing challenges in protecting voter privacy. The report does not mention any changes in the agency's management system due to the lack of safeguards for people's information. Furthermore, the elections agency's ability to run a free and fair vote is at risk.

Interestingly, the government rejected Elections New Brunswick's funding request for a new election management system due to the seller being a United States-based company. The report does not provide any information about the seller of the proposed United States-based election management system.

No information is available in the provided search results about which company requested funding from Elections New Brunswick for a new election management system or why the request was denied. The report does not mention any direct impact of the lack of safeguards on the agency's ability to run a free and fair vote.

Despite these challenges, Elections New Brunswick continues to work towards ensuring the integrity of the electoral process. It is hoped that the government will reconsider its decision regarding the funding for a new election management system to help the agency combat the rising threat of disinformation and protect voter privacy.