Seeking Cross-National Survey Data on How Voters Cast their Ballots

This question is posted by ACE on behalf of Practitioners' Network member Pippa Norris.

Question

I am interested in finding cross-national data on how citizens of different countries vote (e.g. in person, by post/mail, absentee, proxy, etc.) to understand its impact on trust in electoral authorities, political efficacy, and so on. This data can provide critical information that EMBs need to evaluate the costs and benefits of expanding voting facilities.

Can Practitioners’ Network members suggest any cross-national (comparative) survey data asking the general public:  1) Whether they voted, and then, 2) How they cast their ballot ?

Summary of Responses

• In Uganda proxy voting was approved in 2001, but later suppressed due to population mistrust (doubts regarding ghost voting). Currently it is only allowed to vote in person.
• In Seychelles they have the traditional method, although developing electoral reform. 
• In Nigeria voters must be physically present if they decide to vote. However they are working to enable voting in a different poll station than the one in which the voters had initially registered.
• In Mexico voters must be physically present if they decide to vote. There is one exception: those Mexicans living abroad can use electronic vote. New technologies are being considered.
• In Kenya voters must be physically present if they decide to vote.
• In Cameroon voters must be physically present if they decide to vote. There is one exception: proxy voting for those who are disabled on the Election Day.

Contributing Members:

• Immaculate Namazzi Mayanja
• Richard Marc Labrosse
• Charles Obot
• Tania Pineda
• Catherine Kithinji
• Orock Princely-Jerry Eyongapka

It is good to do such a survey but here in Uganda, proxy voting was the  only method that was thought about in 2001 but was later discarded due to the mistrust the population expressed in the method, doubting whether actually the people who were being represented were existent and not "ghost". In Uganda presently one only votes if s/he is present in person.

In the seychelles we have a old traditional method, but at the moment seychelles are in a electoral reform process, where all the partners and shareholder are drafting a amendment in the act to meet the modern world that we are living this. this kind of survey for sure is a good practice.

In my country-Nigeria, the electorate have to be physically present to be able to cast their vote. They do not have the luxury of electronic voting.  So far , they cannot transfer their voting point. But it is expected that in the forthcoming general election in 2015,  Nigerians would be able to cast their vote outside where they originaly registered on condition that they had applied to INEC (EMB) before the commencement of general election.

Mi país (México) tiene una historia trágica. 

Otrora (y creo que aún no creen) los ciudadanos no creían en las instituciones electorales porque en el mismo organismo que se encargaba de las elecciones, participaba el gobierno. Ellos eran los que calificaban la elección y eso resultaba ser muy tramposo. Por ello, se decidió crear al otrora IFE (ahora llamado INE) quien se encarga de garantizar la equidad y transparencia en la contienda. 

Nuestro sistema electoral es el resultado de la desconfianza que tuvieron en su momento los ciudadanos. Por lo anterior, nuestro sistema debe cumplir con ciertas características para que antes, durante y después de la jornada electoral, todo se cumpla de acuerdo con la ley.

Nosotros votamos físicamente, presentando nuestra credencial de elector que es la que nos sirve para identificarnos al ir a votar. En ese momento, los integrantes de las casillas nos buscan en sus listas las cuales contienen los nombres y fotografía de aquellos ciudadanos que  tienen credencial para votar con fotografía (pues, otrora, hacían trampas y resultaba que personas que ya estaban muertas, iban a votar... casualmente!... es decir, se ocupaban sus nombres para votar a favor de cierto candidato y que éste obtuviera más votos) . te identifican, pasas a votar y te ponen una tinta en el dedo la cuál aseguran que, el día de la elección, no se te podrá quitar con nada (ello para evitar que un ciudadano vote dos veces).

Aquellas personas que pueden realizar un voto electrónico son aquellos mexicanos que residen en el extranjero y actualmente, en algunos estados de la república, se están poniendo a prueba ciertas máquinas especializadas para que desde allí puedas realizar tu voto. Pienso que eso de las máquinas especializadas sería un ahorro económico para nuestro país pues aquí se gasta mucho en material electoral (hay un papel especializado para las boletas electorales, la tinta es especial, las crayolas para votar también son especiales, nuestra credencial para votar tiene ciertas seguridades...)

Espero que te sirva la anterior introducción y, para que puedas abundar un poco más, te invito a que visites la página de nuestro instituto electoral, es la siguiente: http://www.ine.mx/es/web/portal/?src=logo

Saludos cordiales!!!

In Kenya, voters have to go in person to a polling station, queue in a line and wait for their turn to be issued with the voting materials and finally put the ballot in the ballot box. Even the physically challenged do the same. No e-voting as yet in Kenya

In Cameroon,voters have to go to the polls themselves and queue up for the voting exercise. Those to vote in any polling station MUST be those whose names are found in the electoral register of that polling station.Exceptionally,members of the local polling commission can vote in the polling stations where they have been assigned to work without their names being on the electoral registers of the said polling stations.This can be done upon the presentation of their voters cards.

 Any elector suffering from an infirmity or whose physical state makes him/her unable to carry out the voting exercise by his/herself, may enlist the assistance of an elector of his/her choice.The chosen elector MUST be registered on the electoral register of the polling station concerned and shall not be a candidate or representative of a candidate, list of candidate or political party.He/she may not assist more than one elector on an  e-day.

 In my Country Cameroon,there is no e-voting as of now.