I was reading about the local UK elections. Boris Johnson had introduced for the first time requirement for voters to show a photo ID a few years ago and that buffoon was turned away at the polling station because he forgot his own ID!
That made me wonder how many developed countries still didn't require voters to confirm their identity with a photo ID. According to ChatGPT these countries included Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden.
In the United States it depends on the state, but apparently only six states require a strict photo ID. Half of US states do not require any ID at all!
I find it quite shocking that they are still democratic countries that make it so easy for voters to cheat at elections. In Belgium I've always known the obligation to show a photo ID to vote at the elections. What's more, since 2001 Belgian ID cards have an electronic chip that makes them extremely difficult to fake.
The Economist explains how "photo id has also been required in Northern Ireland since 2002, to combat a situation where polling staff “were willing to turn a blind eye when half the inhabitants of the local cemetery turned up to cast their vote”.
I've also always known electronic voting in Belgium. It started in a few municipalities 1991, was extended to 20% of the electorate in 1994, 44% in 1998 and the whole country in 2003. It's been over 20 years and yet plenty of countries, some richer than Belgium, still have paper voting, which also makes it easier to cheat (some unscrupulous voters might bring copies of the voting bulletin in their pocket and drop several papers in the box).
I tried to find exactly which country use electronic vs paper voting. I couldn't find data for all countries, but among those I found, apart from Belgium, only Estonia, Switzerland and the US have electronic voting for national elections among developed countries. Japan only has electronic voting for municipal elections, while Australia and Canada have it in parts of the country for municipal elections. I wonder why a country would decide to have electronic voting only for municipal election and not for a national elections?
Oddly enough It appears that more developing countries have electronic voting than rich countries. This is the case for Bulgaria, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Brazil and Venezuela.
That made me wonder how many developed countries still didn't require voters to confirm their identity with a photo ID. According to ChatGPT these countries included Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden.
In the United States it depends on the state, but apparently only six states require a strict photo ID. Half of US states do not require any ID at all!
I find it quite shocking that they are still democratic countries that make it so easy for voters to cheat at elections. In Belgium I've always known the obligation to show a photo ID to vote at the elections. What's more, since 2001 Belgian ID cards have an electronic chip that makes them extremely difficult to fake.
The Economist explains how "photo id has also been required in Northern Ireland since 2002, to combat a situation where polling staff “were willing to turn a blind eye when half the inhabitants of the local cemetery turned up to cast their vote”.
I've also always known electronic voting in Belgium. It started in a few municipalities 1991, was extended to 20% of the electorate in 1994, 44% in 1998 and the whole country in 2003. It's been over 20 years and yet plenty of countries, some richer than Belgium, still have paper voting, which also makes it easier to cheat (some unscrupulous voters might bring copies of the voting bulletin in their pocket and drop several papers in the box).
I tried to find exactly which country use electronic vs paper voting. I couldn't find data for all countries, but among those I found, apart from Belgium, only Estonia, Switzerland and the US have electronic voting for national elections among developed countries. Japan only has electronic voting for municipal elections, while Australia and Canada have it in parts of the country for municipal elections. I wonder why a country would decide to have electronic voting only for municipal election and not for a national elections?
Oddly enough It appears that more developing countries have electronic voting than rich countries. This is the case for Bulgaria, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Brazil and Venezuela.
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