Genuine elections are essential for people to express their political will, but elections cannot guarantee democratic governance. This will be even more true as digital technology advances. It’s essential that we manage these changes within the broader framework of strengthening our commitment to human rights and democracy — not to threaten self-governance, but rather to safeguard it.

This means improving systems for inclusive and effective political participation, including full and easy (or even automatic) access to voter registration processes and appropriate identification for all. This is especially critical for groups that have faced obstacles to full participation, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous people, the elderly, the disabled and those living in extreme poverty.

Transparency in elections and political processes is needed to build trust and popular confidence. Voters must be able to freely examine key information about governance and about electoral processes and results. For example, in the United States, voting technologies should include paper trails that can be audited; there should be fewer barriers to independent nonpartisan observers; and the results of audits and reviews should be readily available to the public.

Effective voter participation in governance and policy-making in the digital era will require additional protections for rights and freedoms such as freedom of expression and association and access to information — including the internet. Citizens will need better tools to assess the quality and accuracy of information, such as fact-checking apps that crosscheck information against recognized sources and databases.

We must also develop legal frameworks and technological systems that protect privacy and the security of our personal information, with processes for independent oversight. People must be able to learn what data is being gathered about them and who has access to it.

We must understand how all of this information is being used by media, corporations, governments and others to shape political views and behavior, and develop and implement standards and codes of practice to ensure that this does not undermine our common principles.

In these and other challenges, the enduring principles of democracy and human rights must be our guiding lights, or the digital future could be dark indeed.