Some countries, such as India, Greece, Ukraine, and Colombia, have a “None of the Above” option on their election ballots. In the United States, only Nevada offers a “None of These Candidates” option.
Over 22 countries around the world require their citizens to vote. Citizens who do not vote are typically subject to penalties, such as fines or community service. Voter turnout in these countries is typically high.
During the “Bleeding Kansas” election in 1855, over 5,000 so-called “Border Ruffians” entered Kansas to sway the election in order to force pro-slavery legislation. Even though the number of votes cast was more than the number of eligible voters in the territory, the governor approved the election.
The 1927 general election in Liberia is the most corrupt election in history. Charles D. B. King, who was seeking a third term as president, won around 234,000 votes to his opponent’s 9,000. However, there were only 15,000 eligible voters in the country at the time.
In 1964, Haitian dictator Papa Doc asked to be elected as “President for Life” and won 99.9% of the vote. All the ballots were pre-marked “yes.”
In 1955, Vietnamese Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm printed his ballots on red paper, which the Vietnamese
consider a very lucky color. He printed the ballots for his opponent on green paper, which is considered a very unlucky color. Ultimately, he won the election—with more votes than there were registered voters.
During the 1988 Mexican general election, the government claimed that all the computers had crashed when the opposition party was shown to be winning. After the reboot, the government’s party was miraculously ahead. All the ballots were later burned to remove evidence of the fraud.
In the 1872 United States election, President Grant ran against a dead man. His opponent, Horace Greeley, died during the election process.
George Washington spent his entire campaign budget (50 pounds) on 160 gallons of liquor to serve to potential voters.
Before 1948, university graduates and business owners in the UK were allowed to cast more than one ballot, giving certain social groups an electoral advantage.
In Saudi Arabia, women finally won the right to vote in 2015.
Since 2003, rampant ballot-stuffing has been recorded in Russia. Scholars note that only Kremlin apologists and “Putin sycophants” believe that Russian elections meet the standards of good democratic practice.
The Ohio Constitution prohibits “idiots” from voting. The constitution states “no idiot, or insane person shall be entitled to the privileges of an elector.