This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2016) |
Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections are always held on a weekday. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. Countries which permit absentee ballots, early ballots or postal votes to be cast by mail before the election avoid the problem altogether by enabling voters to vote on a day that is more convenient to them.
Sundays are the most common day for elections, but this is less true in the Anglosphere; Saturdays are used in New Zealand and Australia, and weekdays for the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. This is partially due to the influence of Protestantism, which historically set restrictions on activities other than church-going during the Sabbath (usually considered as falling on a Sunday). [1]
An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced. [2]
Country/Territory | Region | Election day |
---|---|---|
Albania | Europe | Sunday. [3] |
Argentina | South America | Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. [4] |
Austria | Europe | Sunday. Nationalrat elections may be held on another public holiday. [5] |
Australia | Oceania | Saturday for federal, [6] state and most local elections. Postal and early voting permitted. Some local elections are by postal voting only. |
Belgium | Europe | Sunday (until 1894, Tuesday). [5] |
Bolivia | South America | Sunday. [7] |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | Sunday. [8] |
Brazil | South America | First Sunday of October. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. [9] |
Bulgaria | Europe | Sunday. |
Canada | North America | Third Monday of October every four years, or after Parliament is dissolved by the Governor General. [10] |
Chile | South America | Sunday. [11] |
Colombia | South America | Sunday: the second Sunday of March for Congress, and the second Sunday of May for President and Vice President. [12] |
Czech Republic | Europe | Traditionally elections are held over two days, starting on a Friday afternoon and ending the following Saturday afternoon. [13] [14] |
Cyprus | Europe | Saturday. [15] [1] |
Costa Rica | North America | Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. [16] |
Croatia | Europe | Sunday. [17] |
Denmark | Europe | Elections for the Folketing usually occur on Tuesday, but this is not a statutory requirement. [18] |
Ecuador | South America | Sunday.[ citation needed ] |
El Salvador | North America | Sunday.[ citation needed ] |
Estonia | Europe | Elections for the Riigikogu, which chooses both the president and prime minister, are on the first Sunday of March. [19] |
Finland | Europe | Sunday. [20] |
France | Europe | Sunday. [5] |
Germany | Europe | Sunday. Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. [21] |
Greece | Europe | Sunday. [5] |
Hong Kong | Asia | Sunday for legislative elections. (The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is not elected by universal suffrage) [22] |
Hungary | Europe | Sunday. [23] |
Iceland | Europe | Saturday. [1] |
India | Asia | Elections are held over multiple days. [24] The 2019 Indian general election, which began on a Thursday, took place over seven phases with six days between each phase. Constituencies vote only on the day of their respective phase. [25] [26] |
Indonesia | Asia | Election dates are determined by the General Elections Commission (Indonesian: Komisi Pemilihan Umum, KPU), but must occur "on a holiday or a day determined as a national holiday" per the Indonesian electoral law of 2017. [27] |
Iran | Asia | Friday for presidential elections. [28] |
Ireland | Europe | Typically on a Friday, but precise date set by Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. [29] |
Israel | Asia | By law on the third Tuesday of Cheshvan, but normally held on a different day. [30] Election day is a holiday in Israel, so people do not have to work. [31] |
Italy | Europe | Municipal, provincial, and regional elections take place on a Sunday, as do elections for the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate and EU Parliament elections. Occasionally Mondays are added as voting day. [5] |
Japan | Asia | Sunday. [32] |
Latvia | Europe | Saturday. [1] |
Lebanon | Asia | Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. [33] The most recent election, the 2018 Lebanese general election, was also held on a Sunday. |
Lithuania | Europe | Elections for the Seimas are on the second Sunday of October, and for the president the last Sunday two months before the end of the current president's term. [34] |
Luxembourg | Europe | Sunday. [5] |
Macau | Asia | Sunday. [35] |
Macedonia | Europe | Sunday, but the 2020 North Macedonian parliamentary election departed from this standard. It was held over three weekdays after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [36] |
Malta | Europe | Saturday. [1] |
Malaysia | Asia | Saturday |
Mexico | North America | First Sunday of July until 2018. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. [37] |
Montenegro | Europe | Sunday for Parliamentary elections. [38] |
Netherlands | Europe | Typically on a Wednesday. [5] For elections to the European Parliament, Thursday. [39] [5] |
New Zealand | Oceania | Saturday. [40] |
Nicaragua | North America | Sunday.[ citation needed ] |
Norway | Europe | Monday in early September. Exact date set by the King of Norway. [41] |
Panama | North America | Sunday. [42] |
Paraguay | South America | Sunday.[ citation needed ] |
Peru | South America | Sunday. [43] |
Philippines | Asia | Second Monday in May. [44] |
Poland | Europe | Sunday. [45] |
Portugal | Europe | Sunday. [5] |
Puerto Rico | North America | Day after the first Monday in November. [46] |
Romania | Europe | Sunday.[ citation needed ] |
Russia | Europe | Sunday. [47] |
Serbia | Europe | Sunday.[ citation needed ] |
Singapore | Asia | Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. [48] |
Slovakia | Europe | Saturday. [49] |
Slovenia | Europe | Sunday. [14] |
South Korea | Asia | Usually Wednesday. Election day is a national holiday. [50] |
Spain | Europe | There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. [n. 1] Municipal and provincial elections take place on the fourth Sunday of May. [5] [52] |
Sweden | Europe | Second Sunday of September. [53] [54] |
Switzerland | Europe | Saturday and Sunday. [55] |
Taiwan | Asia | Saturday. [56] [1] |
Thailand | Asia | Sunday. [57] |
Turkey | Europe | Sunday. [58] |
Ukraine | Europe | Sunday.[ citation needed ] |
United Kingdom | Europe | Thursday. [55] |
United States | North America | All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. [59] |
Uruguay | South America | Sunday.[ citation needed ] |
Venezuela | South America | Sunday. [60] |
Vietnam | Asia | Sunday. [61] |
Elections to the European Parliament take place over a period of four days (i.e., Thursday through to Sunday), according to the election days of the EU members states (as listed above). There are some exceptions; as Wednesday was not covered by the available dates, the Netherlands holds elections on Thursday, while Denmark holds elections on Sunday. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting.
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections in Sweden are held once every four years. At the highest level, all 349 members of Riksdag, the national parliament of Sweden, are elected in general elections. Elections to the 20 county councils and 290 municipal assemblies – all using almost the same electoral system – are held concurrently with the legislative elections on the second Sunday in September.
Compulsory voting, also called universal civic duty voting or mandatory voting, is the requirement that registered voters participate in an election. As of January 2023, 21 countries have compulsory voting laws. Enforcement of the law in those countries varies considerably and the penalty for not casting a ballot without a proper justification ranges from severe to non-existent.
Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of rival candidates, or both. It differs from but often goes hand-in-hand with voter suppression. What exactly constitutes electoral fraud varies from country to country, though the goal is often election subversion.
The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote buying. This system is one means of achieving the goal of political privacy.
A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English and British English, although polling place is the building and polling station is the specific room where voters cast their votes. A polling place can contain one or more polling stations. In Australian English, "polling place" is used.
Elections in Chile are held nationwide, including the presidency, parliament, regional offices, and municipal positions. Chilean citizens and foreign residents with legal residency of at least five years, who are 18 years or older on election day, are eligible to vote. Previously, voting was voluntary, but since 2023, it has become compulsory.
Election Day in the United States is the annual day for general elections of federal public officials. It is statutorily set by the U.S. government as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November", i.e. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8.
Voter suppression is a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting. It is distinguished from political campaigning in that campaigning attempts to change likely voting behavior by changing the opinions of potential voters through persuasion and organization, activating otherwise inactive voters, or registering new supporters. Voter suppression, instead, attempts to gain an advantage by reducing the turnout of certain voters. Suppression is an anti-democratic tactic associated with authoritarianism.
An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online voting. Increasing the ease of access to absentee ballots is seen by many as one way to improve voter turnout through convenience voting, though some countries require that a valid reason, such as infirmity or travel, be given before a voter can participate in an absentee ballot. Early voting overlaps with absentee voting. Early voting includes votes cast before the official election day(s), by mail, online or in-person at voting centers which are open for the purpose. Some places call early in-person voting a form of "absentee" voting, since voters are absent from the polling place on election day.
Early voting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as via postal voting, or in person, usually in designated early voting polling stations. The availability and time periods for early voting vary among jurisdictions and types of election. The goals of early voting are usually to increase voter participation, relieve congestion at polling stations on election day, and avoid possible discrimination against people with work and travel schedules that may effectively prohibit them from getting to the polls during the hours provided in a single election day.
Postal voting is voting in an election where ballot papers are distributed to electors by post, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system.
The 1986 Basque regional election was held on Sunday, 30 November 1986, to elect the 3rd Parliament of the Basque Autonomous Community. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
The 1984 Basque regional election was held on Sunday, 26 February 1984, to elect the 2nd Parliament of the Basque Autonomous Community. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, local elections, mayoral elections, and police and crime commissioner elections. Within each of those categories, there may also be by-elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday, and under the provisions of the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 the timing of general elections can be held at the discretion of the prime minister during any five-year period. All other types of elections are held after fixed periods, though early elections to the devolved assemblies and parliaments can occur in certain situations. The five electoral systems used are: the single member plurality system (first-past-the-post), the multi-member plurality, the single transferable vote, the additional member system, and the supplementary vote.
The 1985 Galician regional election was held on Sunday, 24 November 1985, to elect the 2nd Parliament of the autonomous community of Galicia. All 71 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
The 2007 Navarrese regional election was held on Sunday, 27 May 2007, to elect the 8th Parliament of the Chartered Community of Navarre. All 50 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.
Scytl Election Technologies S.L.U. is a Spanish provider of electronic voting systems and election technology. Founded in 2001 in Barcelona, its products and services are used in elections and referendums across the world.
The November 2019 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 10 November 2019, to elect the 14th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 265 seats in the Senate.
Municipal elections were held in the Dominican Republic on February 16, 2020, to elect all local governments officials in the country, including mayors, deputy mayors, aldermen, directors, deputy directors, and voices in municipalities. However, due to countless electoral polling places reporting problems with the electronic voting system within the first few hours of opening the polls, the Central Electoral Board decided to suspend the elections. The elections were rescheduled to March 15, 2020.
Australia is one of only a handful of countries to hold elections on Saturdays. Cyprus, Malta, Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Taiwan, and New Zealand are the others. ... Most countries go to the polls on Sundays, except in the Protestant-dominated Anglosphere, where public activities on the Sabbath other than attending church have historically been severely restricted.
In most respects, Election Day appeared to be a model of local democracy in action, with notable differences from the US voting process. Elections are held on Sundays that are declared national holidays. All regular business is shut down to encourage voter turnout. Voting is compulsory--with non-excused abstention punishable by a hefty fine--as well as highly participatory. To encourage unbiased reflection, campaigning is prohibited for 72 hours ahead of the election, and the consumption of alcoholic beverages is outlawed for 48 hours.
The decisions regarding which days will be election days and how the voters will indicate their candidate preferences are uniquely Japanese. Election days call on Sundays in Japan. Because Sunday is a holiday, primary and junior high schools can be used as voting sites; moreover, it is assumed that more citizens will be able to vote on a Sunday. But the choice of which Sunday is usually left up to the politicians.
Голосование на выборах может быть назначено только на воскресенье.
Accordingly, all Vietnamese citizens satisfying the law-specified conditions are entitled to exercise the rights to vote and to stand for election; the Vietnamese State has the obligation to legally guarantee and create favorable conditions for citizens to exercise their rights. The current election law makes it clearer by stipulating that elections will be held on Sundays so that voters may arrange their schedules to go to the polls while polling places must be located at areas convenient for voters and those who cannot go to polling booths may cast their votes with mobile ballot boxes.