Deepfake Election Video Told Voters Not to Vote

A real deepfake during Ireland’s 2025 presidential election falsely depicted candidate Catherine Connolly saying the election was cancelled, that she was withdrawing, and that her supporters should not vote. The UK Electoral Commission is developing a rapid detection system because similar false election-process messages could influence voters before authorities can identify the people behind them.

Key findings

• During Ireland’s 2025 presidential election, a deepfake falsely portrayed candidate Catherine Connolly as cancelling the election and withdrawing from the race.
• The fake video urged Connolly’s supporters not to vote, directly targeting participation in the election process.
• The UK Electoral Commission piloted AI monitoring during May 2026 local elections, reviewing roughly three million posts and escalating ten misleading items to platforms or police.
• The Commission aims to alert affected candidates or parties within three hours of a qualifying deepfake appearing, before it can spread widely.
• The article also notes phishing among the Commission’s ongoing cyber threats, but does not provide a phishing lure or workflow.

Who’s being targeted

• Commonly targeted roles: Political candidates, Campaign staff, Election administrators, Communications teams, Voters, Journalists.
• Affected industries: Government, Election administration, Political campaigns, Social media platforms.

Awareness takeaways

• Treat urgent election-process claims in media as unverified until they are confirmed through official election authorities or a candidate’s verified channels.
• Do not rely solely on realistic-looking video or audio when deciding whether to vote, share content, or change campaign activity.
• Campaign teams should establish a rapid escalation process for suspected impersonation content, because harmful material can spread before its creator is identified.