Voting
Countries with Mandatory Voting 2026
Voting Status
Mandatory
No Elections
Not Mandatory
Voting Status
180 countries
27 countries
Country | Voting Status↑ | Year Introduced | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Brazil | Mandatory | 1932 |
 | Mexico | Mandatory | 1857 |
 | Egypt | Mandatory | 1956 |
 | DR Congo | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Turkey | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Thailand | Mandatory | 1997 |
 | Argentina | Mandatory | 1912 |
 | Peru | Mandatory | 1933 |
 | Australia | Mandatory | 1924 |
 | North Korea | Mandatory | |
 | Chile | Mandatory | Practiced from 1925 to 2012. Compulsory voting was reinstated in 2024 |
 | Ecuador | Mandatory | 1947 for men, 1968 for both sexes |
 | Bolivia | Mandatory | 1952 |
 | Belgium | Mandatory | 1892 (men); 1949 (women) |
 | Honduras | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Greece | Mandatory | 1926 |
 | Paraguay | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Singapore | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Lebanon | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Costa Rica | Mandatory | 1959 |
 | Panama | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Uruguay | Mandatory | 1934 |
 | Gabon | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Luxembourg | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Samoa | Mandatory | 2019 |
 | Liechtenstein | Mandatory | N/A |
 | Nauru | Mandatory | 1965 |
 | Afghanistan | No Elections | |
 | Saudi Arabia | No Elections | |
 | South Sudan | No Elections | |
 | Eritrea | No Elections | |
 | Brunei | No Elections | |
 | Vatican City | No Elections | |
 | India | Not Mandatory | |
 | China | Not Mandatory | |
 | United States | Not Mandatory | |
 | Indonesia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Pakistan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Nigeria | Not Mandatory | |
 | Bangladesh | Not Mandatory | |
 | Russia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Ethiopia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Japan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Philippines | Not Mandatory | Attempt to practice 1972-1986 under martial law. |
 | Vietnam | Not Mandatory | |
 | Iran | Not Mandatory | |
 | Germany | Not Mandatory | |
 | Tanzania | Not Mandatory | |
 | United Kingdom | Not Mandatory | |
 | France | Not Mandatory | 1950's or 60's (Senate only) |
 | South Africa | Not Mandatory | |
 | Italy | Not Mandatory | Practised from 1945 to 1993 |
 | Kenya | Not Mandatory | |
 | Myanmar | Not Mandatory | |
 | Colombia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Sudan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Uganda | Not Mandatory | |
 | South Korea | Not Mandatory | |
 | Algeria | Not Mandatory | |
 | Iraq | Not Mandatory | |
 | Spain | Not Mandatory | Practiced from 1907 to 1923 |
 | Yemen | Not Mandatory | |
 | Canada | Not Mandatory | |
 | Angola | Not Mandatory | |
 | Ukraine | Not Mandatory | |
 | Morocco | Not Mandatory | |
 | Poland | Not Mandatory | |
 | Uzbekistan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Mozambique | Not Mandatory | |
 | Malaysia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Ghana | Not Mandatory | |
 | Madagascar | Not Mandatory | |
 | Ivory Coast | Not Mandatory | |
 | Cameroon | Not Mandatory | |
 | Nepal | Not Mandatory | |
 | Niger | Not Mandatory | |
 | Venezuela | Not Mandatory | Practiced from 1958 to 1993 |
 | Syria | Not Mandatory | |
 | Mali | Not Mandatory | |
 | Burkina Faso | Not Mandatory | |
 | Sri Lanka | Not Mandatory | |
 | Taiwan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Malawi | Not Mandatory | |
 | Zambia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Chad | Not Mandatory | |
 | Kazakhstan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Somalia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Senegal | Not Mandatory | |
 | Guatemala | Not Mandatory | N/A |
 | Romania | Not Mandatory | |
 | Netherlands | Not Mandatory | Practised from 1917 to 1967 |
 | Cambodia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Zimbabwe | Not Mandatory | |
 | Guinea | Not Mandatory | |
 | Benin | Not Mandatory | |
 | Rwanda | Not Mandatory | |
 | Burundi | Not Mandatory | |
 | Tunisia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Haiti | Not Mandatory | |
 | Dominican Republic | Not Mandatory | Practiced till 2010 |
 | Jordan | Not Mandatory | |
 | United Arab Emirates | Not Mandatory | |
 | Tajikistan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Papua New Guinea | Not Mandatory | |
 | Cuba | Not Mandatory | |
 | Sweden | Not Mandatory | |
 | Azerbaijan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Portugal | Not Mandatory | |
 | Togo | Not Mandatory | |
 | Israel | Not Mandatory | |
 | Hungary | Not Mandatory | |
 | Austria | Not Mandatory | |
 | Switzerland | Not Mandatory | 1904 |
 | Sierra Leone | Not Mandatory | |
 | Belarus | Not Mandatory | |
 | Laos | Not Mandatory | |
 | Turkmenistan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Libya | Not Mandatory | |
 | Kyrgyzstan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Hong Kong | Not Mandatory | |
 | Nicaragua | Not Mandatory | |
 | Bulgaria | Not Mandatory | 2016 |
 | Serbia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Republic of the Congo | Not Mandatory | |
 | El Salvador | Not Mandatory | |
 | Denmark | Not Mandatory | |
 | Liberia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Central African Republic | Not Mandatory | |
 | Palestine | Not Mandatory | |
 | Oman | Not Mandatory | |
 | Norway | Not Mandatory | |
 | Finland | Not Mandatory | |
 | Mauritania | Not Mandatory | |
 | Slovakia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Ireland | Not Mandatory | |
 | New Zealand | Not Mandatory | |
 | Kuwait | Not Mandatory | |
 | Croatia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Georgia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Mongolia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Puerto Rico | Not Mandatory | |
 | Qatar | Not Mandatory | |
 | Namibia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Not Mandatory | |
 | Moldova | Not Mandatory | |
 | Armenia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Gambia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Jamaica | Not Mandatory | |
 | Lithuania | Not Mandatory | |
 | Albania | Not Mandatory | |
 | Botswana | Not Mandatory | |
 | Lesotho | Not Mandatory | |
 | Guinea-Bissau | Not Mandatory | |
 | Slovenia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Equatorial Guinea | Not Mandatory | |
 | Latvia | Not Mandatory | |
 | North Macedonia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Bahrain | Not Mandatory | |
 | Trinidad and Tobago | Not Mandatory | |
 | Timor-Leste | Not Mandatory | |
 | Cyprus | Not Mandatory | Practiced from 1960 to 2017 |
 | Estonia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Eswatini | Not Mandatory | |
 | Mauritius | Not Mandatory | |
 | Djibouti | Not Mandatory | |
 | Fiji | Not Mandatory | Practiced from 1992 to 2006 |
 | Comoros | Not Mandatory | |
 | Solomon Islands | Not Mandatory | |
 | Guyana | Not Mandatory | |
 | Bhutan | Not Mandatory | |
 | Suriname | Not Mandatory | |
 | Montenegro | Not Mandatory | |
 | Malta | Not Mandatory | |
 | Maldives | Not Mandatory | |
 | Cape Verde | Not Mandatory | |
 | Belize | Not Mandatory | |
 | Bahamas | Not Mandatory | |
 | Iceland | Not Mandatory | |
 | Guadeloupe | Not Mandatory | |
 | Vanuatu | Not Mandatory | |
 | Barbados | Not Mandatory | |
 | Sao Tome and Principe | Not Mandatory | |
 | Saint Lucia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Kiribati | Not Mandatory | |
 | Seychelles | Not Mandatory | |
 | Grenada | Not Mandatory | |
 | Micronesia | Not Mandatory | |
 | Aruba | Not Mandatory | |
 | Tonga | Not Mandatory | |
 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Not Mandatory | |
 | Antigua and Barbuda | Not Mandatory | |
 | Andorra | Not Mandatory | |
 | Cayman Islands | Not Mandatory | |
 | Dominica | Not Mandatory | |
 | Bermuda | Not Mandatory | |
 | Faroe Islands | Not Mandatory | |
 | Greenland | Not Mandatory | |
 | Turks and Caicos Islands | Not Mandatory | |
 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Not Mandatory | |
 | Northern Mariana Islands | Not Mandatory | |
 | Gibraltar | Not Mandatory | |
 | British Virgin Islands | Not Mandatory | |
 | Monaco | Not Mandatory | |
 | Marshall Islands | Not Mandatory | |
 | San Marino | Not Mandatory | |
 | Palau | Not Mandatory | |
 | Anguilla | Not Mandatory | |
 | Cook Islands | Not Mandatory | |
 | Tuvalu | Not Mandatory | |
 | Montserrat | Not Mandatory | |
 | Falkland Islands | Not Mandatory | |
 | Tokelau | Not Mandatory | |
 | Niue | Not Mandatory |
- In Switzerland, only the canton of Schaffhausen has mandatory voting.
Mandatory voting occurs in a country when the country requires the citizens to vote. In some countries, there are penalties for not voting, while in others it is just a compulsory requirement to live there. Some countries have it in certain regions, while other countries will have the law nationwide.
Highlighted Countries
Argentina
Argentina is a country where failure to comply with mandatory voting laws results in penalties of a fine. Individuals in violation are not permitted to hold public office for one year after the offense. Some exceptions such as health or distance from polling stations may apply.
Australia
Australia has a fine of $20 for those that do not comply with mandatory voting laws.
Austria
Austria requires a valid reason for not voting and will levy a 1,000 schilling fine for violations, the equivalent of approximately $70 USD.
Belgium
Reprimands and fines are the penalties for not voting in Belgium, but citizens can send proxies to vote for them if they hold power of attorney.
Brazil
Voting is optional in Brazil for citizens that can not read, but there are fines for citizens that can and do not vote.
Cyprus
Cyprus considers it a criminal offense to ignore voting regulations. It could result in one month in jail and a fine.
Ecuador
Civil rights are removed from those in Ecuador who do not vote, although it is unclear what those rights would be.
Fiji Islands
In Fiji, the fines for not voting include a $20 fine, and a $50 fine if you don’t register to vote.
Singapore
There is a $5 penalty for citizens that do not vote.
Thailand
In Thailand, citizens that do not comply with voting regulations will lose their rights to vote in future elections. It is unclear how long that penalty will last, but voting is considered a serious offense. A clear cause provided will mitigate that rule and permit citizens to abstain from voting.
Uruguay
Uruguay is another country where suffrage played an important role in the nation’s history. The law requires every citizen of age to fulfill the requirements of voting. Fines are levied for citizens that do not.
Sources
- Voter Turnout Database - International IDEA
- Compulsory Voting - International IDEA
- List of countries by system of government - Wikipedia
- How to vote in France- Elections Europa
- Tokelau Government - Government of Tokelau
- Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands - Wikipedia
- Government of Puerto Rico - Wikipedia
- Politics of the Falkland Islands - Wikipedia
- Turks and Caicos Government - Visit Turks and Caicos Islands
- Government Structure - GOV HK
- Compulsory voting - Wikipedia
