This election season, over 44 million Americans have already cast their vote ahead of November 5 via mail-in ballots.
For many citizens, mail-in ballots serve are an essential service to ensure that they can exercise their right to vote.
However, people in other countries are scratching their heads and raising their eyebrows over our voting methods, and pointing out some of the flaws we seem to have missed in the process.
People in other countries find it weird that Americans use ballot boxes to cast their votes.
In 2020, 35% of American voters opted to vote via mail-in ballot rather than in person at their local polling place.
For many people, absentee ballot was an optimal way to vote since we were in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, according to a Gallup poll26% of Americans are still choosing to vote by mail even this year.
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Some mail-in voters have documented themselves exercising their rights on social media, sharing photos of themselves in front of mailboxes and getting ready to drop in their votes — and people from other countries are finding it bizarre.
“I’m sorry do Americans just…drop their ballot into a random mailbox on the street?????” one X user responded to a photo of Selena Gomez casting her vote via mail-in ballot.
People in other countries shared how their voting procedures are different than in the U.S.
“This is wild to me because in Australia, you have to show up to a polling center set up in a primary school, get your name marked off a book, and then they give you a ballot paper which you fill out in a booth,” one person commented.
“In Brazil, you need to present an official document with a photo and have your fingerprint scanned,” another revealed.
People from other countries who typically vote in person argued that mail-on ballots could easily be lost or tampered with, making the process inefficient.
However, Americans assured them that their votes were safe and sound when they mailed them in.
“I mean, it’s the same as dropping off mail at any mail receptacle. This one is just specifically for ballots. And they’re locked, you can’t see inside or get into them without a key,” one X user noted about designated mailboxes for mail-in ballots.
“Having designated voter mail I would argue is more secure than simply chucking them in a mailbox.”
They also pointed out that there are effective ways to ensure each person receives only one ballot to avoid double votes and ensure that your vote will be accounted for.
“You can track your ballot after you drop it off to make sure it’s counted. If there’s an issue you can vote a provisional ballot on Election Day that will be counted if your mail-in ballot isn’t received,” one X user commented.
For people who still do not understand how mail-in ballots work in the U.S., let’s break it down.
In most states, any registered voter can request to receive a voting ballot via mail ahead of Election Day. All you have to do is fill out a ballot application and mail it or return it in person to your local election office.
After receiving your ballot, read the instructions carefully to ensure that you vote for your candidate of choice.
You can then seal and return your ballot by visiting your County Board of Elections, any early voting location in your county, or any Election Day voting location in your county.
There are also designated ballot drop-off locations where you can drop off your votes.
For those concerned about voter fraud via mail-in ballots, tampering is rare.
A 2020 report from the University of New Mexico’s Center for Social Policy, the UCLA Voting Rights Project, and the Union of Concerned Scientists found that mail-in ballot fraud is rare.
For example, an analysis of the 2016 election data in Oregon identified 10 instances of fraudulent ballots out of 2 million votes cast.
Your mail-in vote will likely be properly accounted for.
While some people in other countries may find our voting process a bit strange, every nation has its own form of voting that may flabbergast others.
Australians host BBQ parties at the polls. Greece allows voters to check a box that says “none of the above” if they do not like any of the candidates. Up until 2017voters in Gambia would drop a glass marble into the color-coded metal barrel of the candidate they’d like to vote for.
Even if others may view our voting practices as odd, we are ultimately fortunate enough to allow voters who are unable to vote in person the opportunity to exercise their right.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
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