Voting Rights and Electoral Reform

In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections that poll taxes were unconstitutional.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of legislation that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

New Zealand was the first country to introduce universal suffrage for both men and women in 1893.

Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to favor one political party or group over another.

Ranked-choice voting is a system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference, and the candidate with the most first-place votes wins.

Germany uses a proportional representation electoral system, in which the number of seats a party wins in parliament is proportional to the number of votes it receives.

Voter registration is the law that requires all eligible voters to register to vote before they can cast a ballot.

Belgium has the highest voter turnout rate in the world, with over 90% of eligible voters casting a ballot in elections.

Early voting is the system in which voters can cast their ballots early, before Election Day.

Australia uses a compulsory voting system, in which all eligible voters are required to cast a ballot in elections.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits discrimination in voting based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

India was the first country to introduce a national identity card that is required for voting.

Absentee voting is the system in which voters can cast their ballots by mail.

Germany uses a mixed-member proportional representation electoral system, in which voters cast two votes: one for a local candidate and one for a party list.

E-voting is the system in which voters can cast their ballots electronically, using a computer or other electronic device.