PubliElectoral – 2022 Chilean National Plebiscite

The purpose of this study is to explore the practices carried out during the campaign for the so-called Exit Plebiscite in Chile and evaluate their compliance with the election laws in force. The referendum was for or against the proposal of a New Constitution and took place in 2022.

The research was conducted using PubliElectoral, a software tool conceived and developed by the Association of Civil Rights (ADC) that collects data from campaign advertising on Facebook. Through the analysis of the information gathered, we examined the use of this platform for election purposes, the compliance with the deadlines stipulated for the campaign, and the degree of monitoring by the authorities.

The analysis shows that all the political actors participating used Facebook for their campaigns, making it a significant space for electoral processes. It was also found that there was little evidence of any oversight from the government and a certain insufficiency as to the concept used by the body in charge (Servicio Electoral or Servel) to define “election campaign”. Along with this, we urge the authorities to develop greater control of the campaign messages posted on social media.

Based on the findings of this report, we conclude that the available public information is insufficient to determine whether expenses on digital platforms were reported clearly and transparently.

Finally, we make recommendations for improving the transparency mechanisms implemented by Facebook/Meta, to the election authority concerning the application of the current norms and its provisions on how to report and publicize campaign expenses.