How big of an issue is voter integrity in the UK election?

Although the contours of the election are now clear, a number of political outcomes are still possible when the UK public heads to the polls this week. Will Labour achieve a “super-majority” allowing to deliver its full domestic agenda or will the Conservatives fend off a rearguard action from Reform and come together quickly enough under a new leader to avoid a prolonged (and likely rancorous) period in opposition?

While observers may not be enthusiastic about either scenario, few but the most cynical expect the vote on Thursday to be “stolen” through fraud—much less forcibly contested, as seen recently in Myanmar, Brazil, and the United States.

However, some corners of social media have been pushing a different narrative.

Analysis of social media data indicates that, in the six weeks since PM Rishi Sunak called the election, around 6% of prospective parliamentary candidates have engaged with content discussing the integrity of the UK’s electoral system. Most of these posts are negative, citing issues ranging from alleged corruption to perceived media bias and political interference.

These anxieties have occasionally seeped into the broader conversation, with election integrity mentioned more than 230,000 times online since the start of the campaign.

What lies behind these numbers, and should we be concerned?

The answer is no, not yet.

While the volume of online mentions might appear impressive, the number of authors posting on this issue is quite small. The vast majority of online engagement is driven by reshares rather than original content, indicating that the conversation around election integrity is largely amplified by a few influential individuals rather than a large number of contributors.

A closer look reveals that 8 out of 10 of the most widely engaged posts come from a single account—Nigel Farage’s, the leader of Reform UK. These posts highlight alleged “election interference” by a dizzying cast of characters, including Google, Ofcom, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Farage’s significant follower base has hijacked the conversation on X (formerly Twitter) around election integrity, making it seem as if mistrust in the UK voting system is far deeper than is the actual case.

The good news is that these posts haven’t cut through among the wider population or the vast majority of current MPs and running candidates, who mostly do not engage with such content.

This tells us that, while concerns about election integrity have gained traction among sections of social media, they are largely driven by a small number of influential voices rather than widespread public outcry.

Despite claims made to the contrary, trust in the overall integrity of the UK’s electoral system therefore remains robust, with attempts to import a more paranoid (American?) style of politics not being supported by either broader engagement or evidence.

Even so, politicians from all parties should be careful not to undermine faith in the electoral system, recognising that attempts to conjure up fears of tampered ballots, rigged polls and foreign interference can ultimately derail democracies and create openings for less appealing alternatives.