Many countries allow their citizens the right to vote in elections when they are not present in their home country. This section examines the ways in which countries may determine who is entitled to vote while outside the country.
Entitlement to cast an external vote is usually linked to the general entitlement to vote that applies to all eligible electors in a country. However, there are sometimes extra requirements imposed on external electors, such as a minimum period of previous residence or an intention to return to the country. In some cases only limited groups of external electors may be eligible to vote, such as diplomats, other public officials and members of the armed forces, and their families. Some countries extend the right to vote to all their citizens living abroad, regardless of the length of time they have spent out of their home country, while others impose time restrictions or require evidence of an intention to return.
Eligibility to vote is usually linked to citizenship. The definitions of citizenship that are applied can also affect which classes of people are eligible to cast external votes. The citizenship in this context is to be discussed here.
Some countries, such as New Zealand and Sweden, also extend the right to an external vote to residents who are not citizens: this is sometimes referred to as the ‘franchise for foreigners’. In this case different rules from those that apply to citizens are usually needed to determine whether these non-citizen residents are eligible to cast external votes.
In some countries the numbers of people eligible for an external vote are relatively small. Other countries do not allow anyone to vote if they are outside their home country. In some cases, for example, following major civil or political unrest or where national borders have changed, or where there are large numbers of migrant workers abroad, large numbers of people may be resident outside the country and have a legitimate claim to vote. In these cases the question of who is eligible to cast an external vote may be a major issue, and determining eligibility may be crucial to the election outcome.
Once a person’s eligibility to cast an external vote is established, there is usually a second requirement to be met—the need to be registered on the electoral register in order to show that that person is entitled to vote. Special registration requirements may be necessary for external electors, or external electors may be required to register in the same way as all others. Registration requirements thus introduce a second stage into the entitlement process and may serve to limit the numbers of persons who are eligible to cast an external vote.
Another aspect of entitlement, where countries are divided into electoral districts, is the electoral district in which an elector is entitled to vote. This could be determined by reference to the address at which the elector most recently resided before leaving the country, or by reference to the person’s place of birth, or, where a person has never resided in the country, by reference to the address of a parent or grandparent. Another option is to provide for special districts composed entirely of external electors, particularly where large numbers of electors are concerned. In some cases, countries will also limit the types of ballot in which external electors may participate. For example, external electors may be permitted to vote in national elections for head of state or national parliament but not in local government elections. (In Switzerland, different rules apply in different cantons.)
Types of election
Entitlement to vote is sometimes limited to particular types of election. For example, external electors may be permitted to vote in national elections for head of state or national parliament but not in local government elections. In some presidential systems in Africa and Asia, citizens living abroad have the right to vote for a president but not in elections to the legislature. Because of their distance from their mother country, citizens living abroad are allowed to influence domestic politics only to a limited extent and consequently are granted only selective rights in national elections and referendums.
