We have previously looked at the rules that govern how people can get on the voter register. There are also rules that determine how registered voters can actually vote. We consider two specific aspects, first where voters can actually vote, and second if and how registered voters who are outside the country are allowed to vote.
The first issue is where (and how) people vote. The most frequent option is at a specified polling station in the locality where they are registered but in many countries there is also the possibility to vote at other polling stations, by mail, by phone, or by proxy. We simply distinguish here those countries where the sole option available is a polling station in one’s locality from those where other options are also available. It turns out that there is a perfect split between the two groups. There are substantial regional differences, but the underlying logic is not clear. Sticking to the local polling stations is more frequent in the Middle East and Americas while offering more options is more popular in the Pacific, Europe and Asia. Contrary to what we might have expected, more economically developed and more democratic countries are not more prone to make it possible to vote in different places or ways. Finally, former Spanish colonies are more likely to rely entirely on local polling stations.
The second question is whether people can vote from outside the country. In one third of the cases (37%), voting from outside the country is simply not permitted. This is the situation in a majority of countries in the Americas. At the other end of the scale, we find that three fourths of European (78%) and African (73%) countries explicitly allow some people to vote from the outside under some conditions. Again there is no correlation between being more “liberal” on this and the degree of democracy and/or economic development. The only pattern that we observe is that former British colonies tend to be more “conservative” and not to allow voting from outside the country.
When voting from outside the country is allowed, it is most often made available to citizens residing abroad. Such a measure prevails in almost half the countries (47%). Here regional variations are quite modest, and the only significant pattern is that former British colonies are less prone to adopt such rules.
Finally, voting from outside the country, when allowed, can be made more or less easy. In a small majority of cases (56%), voting takes place exclusively at embassies, consulates, or special polling stations. In other countries, it is also possible to vote by mail or proxy. The most “liberal” regions are the Pacific and Europe and the most “conservative” is Africa. The most liberal countries are the most democratic and wealthiest, while former British colonies tend to be more “conservative”.
As in many other domains, there is an amazing variety of voting operations across the planet, there is really no dominant approach, and for the most part there is no cleavage between more and less democratic countries:
- There is a perfect split between countries where people must vote at their local polling station and those where more options are available, voting from outside the country is possible in most countries (though it is not in a substantial minority of cases) but it is often not made easy.
- Regional variations in this area are, as in many other dimensions, substantial though not huge.
- Former British colonies appear to be particularly “conservative”; the view that the place to vote is the local polling station seems to have a stronger hold in those countries.
| VOTING OPERATIONS |
Degree of democracy |
Former French colony |
Former British colony |
Former Spanish colony |
Economic development |
Voting only at a specified polling station in one's locality
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
more likely
|
-
|
Voting from outside the country not permitted
|
-
|
-
|
more likely
|
-
|
-
|
Voting from outside the country available to citizens residing outside
|
-
|
-
|
less likely
|
-
|
-
|
| Voting from outside the country exclusively at embassies or special polling stations |
less likely in more democratic countries |
- |
less likely |
-
|
less likely in wealthier countries
|
