In a very few systems, voters who fulfill certain legislative qualifications may be able to appoint a proxy voter to vote for them. A proxy vote may be given where a voter is unable to attend a voting station through infirmity, employment requirements, or being absent from the area on voting day--often similar qualifications to those for voting by mail (see Early voting).

Such arrangements may be implemented to provide accessibility where other forms of absentee voting are relatively restricted or unavailable.

Proxy voting is a method that may detrimentally affect the integrity of voting practice. It allows registered voters to appoint another person to vote in their name. Unlike assisted voting in voting stations, there can be no controls to ensure that the registered voter's instructions on how to vote are followed by the appointed proxy, and, therefore, it may very easily be subject to abuse.

It can be of particular concern where systems allow a proxy to cast a vote for more than one registered voter, and especially where a single person may cast proxy votes for any number of relatives.

Elements of Proxy Voting

Where proxy voting is allowed, its elements would normally include:

• an application from the voter stating the reasons for wanting to appoint a proxy, naming the person as the proxy, and signed by both the registered voter and the proxy, to be received by the electoral management body in sufficient time before voting day to determine and advise voting stations of proxies;

• determination by the electoral management body if the reasons are sufficient and the proxy named is qualified to act as proxy (it would be normal for the proxy to be at least qualified to vote, if not a registered voter; there may also be restrictions on the number of registered voters a proxy may represent);

• advice, including copies of the approved proxy applications, to be provided to the voting station managers in voting stations where voters on their voters lists have appointed proxies;

• when a proxy appears at the voting station to vote, verification by the voting station manager that the purported proxy is actually the person appointed by the voter, before voting material is issued;

• voting station managers should also maintain lists of proxy voters who have voted, as well as the voters for whom they have been issued voting materials.

Election integrity is much better served by implementation of other measures to assist voters who may not be able to attend the voting station at which they are registered to vote. These would include absentee voting facilities (see Absentee voting), early voting services (see Early voting) and mobile voting station facilities for the infirm (see Other special voting arrangements).

Use of Appointed Agent to Collect Voting Material

While not truly proxy voting, a very few election systems allow voters who cannot attend a voting station on voting day--for specific, legislatively-defined reasons such as illness, pregnancy, infirmity--to appoint someone else as their agent to pick up voting material and documentation to authenticate the vote from a voting station or electoral management body office and bring this to the voter.

The voting material and authenticating documentation can be returned either in person by the agent or mailed to the electoral management body by the voter.

While cost-effective, this would generally only be a useful addition to voting services where comprehensive systems for mailed ballots and/or mobile voting facilities for the infirm are not made available. Such facilities may be available only on voting day or, additionally, for a period of early voting prior to voting day. This method shares the same concerns about who has actually completed the ballot as mail-in voting, particularly where a pattern of its use by institutions for the elderly or frail is found.