Our research on voting rules in other countries discussed in the Wall Street Journal

Jun 21, 2021 | Media Coverage

John Fund has a piece in the Wall Street Journal that extensively discusses our recent work on anti-fraud voting regulations in other countries. The proxy voting rules is also from our research and the last paragraph here is very similar to what we wrote at Real Clear Investigation.

study by economist John Lott finds that 46 of 47 European countries require government-issued photo ID to vote. The exception is Great Britain (although not Northern Ireland): Last month Prime MinisterBoris Johnson’s government said it would make photo IDs mandatory in response to a 2016 Royal Commission report. As the BBC summarized it, “authorities are turning a blind eye to electoral corruption in the UK because of a desire for political correctness.”

The Manchin compromise would mandate permissive policies on absentee and mail-in ballots, which are also stricter in Europe. Mr. Lott found 74% of European countries ban absentee ballots except for citizens living abroad. Another 6% limit them to voters in the hospital or the military, and they require third-party verification and photo ID. . . .

Eight European countries with strict voting rules allow proxy voting, under which someone can vote on another’s behalf. France and the Netherlands allow proxy voting, but they require that voters notarize the forms.

The new Georgia voting law that Ms. Abrams calls “racist” is much less restrictive than Europe in this regard. Anyone who wants an absentee ballot can obtain one. You don’t need an excuse—only an ID.

John Fund, “Manchin’s Voter-ID Deception,” Wall Street Journal, June 21, 2021.

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