Episode 3, Season 4 | The Role Interoperability Plays in Trust, Safety, and Elections
In Episode 3 of Season 4 of the Data…for What?! Podcast, we examine the role interoperability plays in trust, safety, and elections.
Recorded during 2024 – often described as the “Year of Global Elections” – this episode explores how digital systems for voter registration, verification, and results transmission shape public trust in electoral processes. While we’re publishing this conversation in 2026, the challenges discussed remain pressing: fragmented systems, data security risks, and limited public understanding of election technologies.
We’re joined by Matt Bailey, the Senior Global Advisor, Cyber and Information Integrity at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and Katya Vogt, Director of Online Safety Initiatives at IREX. Together, we discuss how interoperable data and systems can support transparency and integrity in elections, and where they may also introduce new risks for trust and safety.
Credits
Host: Beverley Hatcher-Mbu
Producers: Wakini Njogu, Beverley Hatcher-Mbu, and Anna Chewter
Editing/Mixing: Joseph Wagner andWakini Njogu
Theme Music: Mark Hatcher
Resources
- Technology, Data and Elections: An Updated Checklist on the Election Cycle by Privacy International
- New Tools for Unleashing the Power of Open Election Data by NDI
- Interoperability in Election Data and Devices by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
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