• VIJAY KUMR YADAV
• Dr. Rajpal Singh

In the rapidly evolving digital age, the intersection of social media and electoral processes has raised significant concerns about the fairness, transparency, and accountability of democratic practices. While digital platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for political engagement, they have also introduced vulnerabilities such as misinformation, algorithmic bias, foreign interference, and unregulated political advertising. This paper explores the regulatory challenges associated with governing digital electoral ecosystems and evaluates comparative policy innovations adopted across developed and developing democracies. Using case studies from the United States, United Kingdom, India, and Nigeria, the research highlights how institutional responses have varied in terms of efficacy, enforcement, and adaptability. It critically assesses global trends in platform accountability, political ad transparency, algorithmic audits, and cross-border information governance. The paper also identifies key policy gaps, such as the lack of real-time content oversight, weak electoral data privacy frameworks, and insufficient legal definitions for digital electoral offences. In response, it proposes a multilayered regulatory model that emphasises stakeholder collaboration, civic education, international legal harmonisation, and the establishment of independent digital election commissions. The paper concludes that a fair digital electoral ecosystem is achievable only through proactive, rights-based, and technologically informed policy frameworks that evolve alongside digital innovations. The findings offer a roadmap for national governments, electoral commissions, civil society, and tech companies to collaboratively uphold the integrity of elections in the digital era.

Digital democracy, electoral regulation, political advertising, algorithmic bias, misinformation, social media policy, electoral integrity, global governance, civic education, platform accountability.

"Towards a Fair Digital Electoral Ecosystem: Regulatory Challenges and Comparative Policy Innovations", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 1, page no.e363-e373, January-2026, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2601453.pdf

"Towards a Fair Digital Electoral Ecosystem: Regulatory Challenges and Comparative Policy Innovations", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 1, page no. ppe363-e373, January-2026, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2601453.pdf