International comparisons indicate most nations enforce voter identification, limit mail-in voting, and restrict non-citizen participation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A comparative review of election systems worldwide indicates that the majority of countries require voter identification, limit or restrict mail-in voting, and prohibit non-citizen participation in national elections.
Data cited from multiple international sources shows that at least 176 countries and jurisdictions require some form of voter identification or pre-registration with identity verification. In Europe, nearly every country requires a government-issued photo ID to vote, while among OECD nations, the majority enforce similar requirements.
Mail-in voting is far less common globally than in the United States. According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 34 countries permit some form of mail-in voting, though only a subset allow it broadly. In many countries, absentee voting is limited to specific circumstances such as illness or travel, and several nations have restricted or eliminated the practice altogether. France banned in-country postal voting in 1975, while Mexico and Belgium have also imposed restrictions in past decades.
Other countries, including Sweden, Italy, and Ukraine, do not permit mail-in voting domestically. Where it is allowed, such as in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, voters are generally required to apply in advance or meet specific eligibility criteria.
The review also found that no country broadly permits non-citizens to vote in national elections. A limited number of nations—such as New Zealand, Chile, Malawi, and Uruguay—allow certain foreign residents to vote under strict residency requirements, but these policies are exceptions rather than the norm. Additional countries permit non-citizen voting only in local elections under defined conditions.
Election administration practices abroad also differ significantly in voter registration. Many countries rely on automatic or compulsory civil registration systems tied to national population databases, eliminating the need for same-day voter registration. In countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, eligible voters are automatically added to rolls through government records.
Ballot collection practices are also more restricted internationally. While some countries allow proxy voting or limited third-party assistance, most require ballots to be submitted directly by the voter or an immediate family member. There is no widely documented equivalent among peer democracies to systems allowing broad third-party ballot collection.
Deadlines for ballot receipt are also typically stricter. In most countries, ballots must be received by election day, and late-arriving ballots are not counted regardless of postmark. By contrast, some U.S. states accept ballots for days or weeks after an election if they are postmarked by election day.
The review further notes that birthright citizenship policies—often discussed alongside voting eligibility—are also limited globally. According to the CIA World Factbook and other sources, roughly 33 countries grant automatic citizenship based solely on birthplace, with most located in the Americas. Many other countries require at least one parent to be a citizen or legal resident.
Additional examples cited include Canada’s system, where individuals applying for a driver’s license may opt to share information with election authorities, enabling automatic updates to voter registration records.
The findings highlight significant differences between U.S. election practices and those used in other democracies, particularly regarding voter identification, absentee voting, and registration systems.
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