Deciding who has the right to vote: a comparative analysis of election laws

The paper analyses seven potential restrictions to the right to vote in 63 democracies. Only two of these restrictions have given rise to a near conse nsus. An overwhelming majority of democracies have decided that the minimum voting age should be 18 and that the right to vote of mentally deficient p eople should be restricted. There is little consensus about whether the rig ht to vote should be restrcited to citizens, about whether there should be country or electoral district residence requirements, about which electors residing abroad (if any) should retain their right to vote and about which prison inmates (if any) should have the right to vote. The paper also exami nes two factors that affect right to vote laws: British colonialism and lev el of political rights. The pattern found with respect to electoral systems , whereby former British colonies emulate their former ruler, is less syste matic in the case of right to vote legislation. Finally, "strong" democraci es are slightly more inclusive than "weak" ones when deciding who has the r ight to vote. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.