Voter participation in the United States remains significantly lower than in many peer countries. Some of the key barriers are practical, including inefficient registration processes, work conflicts, caregiving responsibilities, and health limitations. Equal Futures has created an original database drawing on original legislation from all 38 OECD countries to examines how governments structure voting access and which policy approaches are most common internationally. The findings show that many barriers to voting are both solvable and routinely addressed elsewhere. In many cases, the US is a clear outlier, particularly in relying on individual voter initiative rather than public policy to ensure broad access and engagement. Read the full brief [LINK: here], access interactive maps [LINK: here], or download the dataset [LINK:here].
Automatic Voter Registration
- Across the OECD, 82% of countries automatically register citizens to vote using existing government records such as civil registries, tax filings, or citizenship databases.
- The US has no national-level approach to automatic voter registration.
Election Timing
- 66% of OECD countries require elections to be held on weekends or public holidays, reducing the likelihood of work conflicts for most voters.
- The US remains one of only five OECD countries that specifically hold national elections on a weekday.
Paid Time Off to Vote
- Even when elections occur on weekends, many workers still face conflicts—especially lower-wage workers, younger workers, and people juggling multiple jobs.
- More than one-third of OECD countries guarantee paid time off to vote, typically in addition to holding elections on a weekend or public holiday.
- In the US, there is no national-level paid leave for voting.
Flexible Voting Options
- Across the OECD, 82% of countries allow postal voting in at least some circumstances, and 61% permit early in-person voting.
- In the US, long wait times remain one of the most commonly cited barriers to voting. While the US requires states to provide mail-in ballots for at least some voters, there is no national provision for early in-person voting.
Voting Eligibility of Citizens During and After Incarceration
- One-third of OECD countries do not suspend voting rights during incarceration, and 71% protect against long-term disenfranchisement after release. Many also provide practical means for incarcerated people to vote, such as mobile polling stations.
- The US has no national-level protections for voting duration incarceration or the automatic restoration of voting rights after incarceration.
Voting Systems That Reflect Real Life
- Caregivers, pregnant and postpartum voters, survivors of domestic violence, older adults, people with disabilities, people recovering from medical events, rural residents, disaster-displaced voters, and those with religious observance conflicts can all face barriers to voting.
- Alongside postal and early voting, policies such as home voting, mobile polling, polling stations in hospitals or long-term care facilities, confidential address protections, and accessible polling places all make participation more realistic for voters managing complex life circumstances. These accommodations are not rare exceptions; they are common democratic infrastructure across much of the OECD.
Creating the Foundation for a Stronger Democracy
Removing barriers to voting is a foundational first step toward building a stronger and more inclusive democracy. The broad adoption of policies such as automatic registration, weekend elections, and paid time off across peer nations shows they are both practical and achievable. In the US, national reforms—alongside continued state-level progress—could substantially improve participation, strengthen equity, and better realize voting as a true fundamental right rather than a privilege contingent on time, resources, or circumstance.
