Haiti’s first election in a decade faces more than physical security and logistical challenges. Digital disinformation, manipulated content, and potential cyberattacks on electoral systems could undermine voter confidence and the legitimacy of the results. Public policy analyst Ervens Jean-Pierre offers a detailed analysis of the threats—particularly the less visible ones—and recommends measures authorities can take to mitigate them before it’s too late.
BOSTON —- Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has set Dec. 13, 2026, as the date for the first round of presidential and legislative elections, with a runoff and local elections scheduled for Feb. 21, 2027. The vote would be the country’s first national election in a decade. Still, it is approaching amid a security crisis, political instability, mass displacement and deep public distrust of institutions.
Much of the attention has focused on the most visible threats: whether voters can safely reach polling stations, whether displaced people will be able to participate, and whether illicit money will influence candidates and campaigns.
Those concerns are critical. But another threat could undermine the election without a single polling station being attacked: digital interference.
Disinformation, manipulated videos, coordinated social media campaigns, and attacks or false claims involving electoral technology could influence how Haitians understand the campaign, suppress turnout, and, perhaps most damagingly, convince voters that an election was stolen even when ballots were counted accurately.
For Haiti, the stakes are particularly high this election cycle. The election system can be physically secure and technically accurate yet still fail if voters do not trust the information surrounding it or the result it produces.
Haiti enters the electoral period with large parts of the country affected by armed gangs’ violence. The United Nations has estimated that gangs control between 85% and 90% of Port-au-Prince.
The security crisis has displaced more than 1.4 million people and made movement difficult in many communities. Political and economic instability have further weakened public confidence in government institutions.
Rosy Auguste Ducéna, program manager for the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), has argued that territorial control itself can affect an election because the departments most affected by armed groups represent a significant share of Haiti’s electorate.
“If they control the West, Artibonite, and Centre departments, they pretty much control the elections,” said Auguste Ducéna, highlighting that these regions make up about 60 percent of the electorate.
While a gang roadblock can prevent someone from reaching a polling station, digital interference can influence whether that person believes voting is worthwhile in the first place.
“Disinformation not only fuels suspicion but can also incite organized resistance against perceived fraud, irrespective of empirical evidence.”
A false message claiming that a polling station has been moved, that violence has erupted nearby or that voting has been canceled could suppress participation without anyone physically blocking a road.
Likewise, a fabricated results announcement circulated immediately after voting could create confusion before election officials have time to respond.
The threat, therefore, is not simply whether someone can manipulate votes. It is whether someone can manipulate what voters believe about the election.
Haiti’s digital footprint may appear relatively small, but that does not make the country immune to online manipulation.
According to a Data Portal report, about 39% of the population — roughly 4.7 million people — was estimated to be online in 2026.
Facebook accounts for a large share of social media activity, accounting for close to 7 in 10 social media visits in the country, while mobile devices are the primary way many Haitians access the internet. That creates an environment in which a small number of platforms can have an outsized influence on the information people receive.
The problem is not simply that false information exists. It is that false information can travel faster than institutions can verify and correct it.
