About the Database
Allowing citizens to vote while they are outside their home country has long been an issue in electoral design and management. As the number of countries holding elections has increased significantly over the last quarter of century, it has become even more salient. It is not only that many more people are travelling and working around the globe. As elections take place in countries in transition after authoritarian rule, and even more so after violent conflict, the rights of refugees and people living outside a country to participate in building its future are increasingly important and relevant.
The Voting from Abroad Database provides comparative data on external voting practices for 216 countries and territories around the globe. Such a broad coverage makes this database truly unique among similar datasets in the elections field. Interactive tools, including maps and graphs, allow users to easily compare regions and sub-regions, filter necessary data and export raw data for further analyses. Country pages provide in depth country level data in a historical format. In addition to standardised data, country pages provide further information about the specific practices of external voting.