Elections are perhaps the most formal right and the process by which citizens of a country participate in governance. Each citizen, regardless of wealth or power, is accorded one vote; notionally, each vote symbolizes that power to choose who should govern the country. To be able to meaningfully exercise and assert that power to choose, however, each citizen must have access to the proper information about the relevant issues and the contending arguments in support of a particular position.
Lamentably, the promise proved to be a farce. Rather than enriching public discourse, the political climate has become more polarized and the populace less open to any political deliberation. By monopolizing content and restricting cross-ideological exposure to other ideas, disinformation created echo chambers for self-reinforcing stimuli.
Questions can be raised about how exactly a code of conduct can be effective given that its enforcement lacks teeth as compared to regulations. It can be argued that the capacity of a code of conduct to effect change lies in how it is a norm-building document that can create a culture of transparency and accountability. A code of conduct is not a solution on its own and needs to be done in conjunction with other initiatives like pushing for more effective legislation and regulations.
The Legal Network for Truthful Elections reached out to different PR and advertising associations to consult with them on the proposal of the different election stakeholders and how this initiative can be operationalized.