The U.S. Isn’t the Only Country with Mail-In Voting. Here's Where We Stand.
The claim was made that the U.S. is the “only country with mail-in voting.” But that’s not true. Thirty-four countries and territories allow it, though how it's handled varies. The U.S., for example, is among the few that meticulously track ballots every step of the way. Many others don’t.
I. A Quick History of Mail-In Voting in the U.S.
Our story begins not with fancy tech or political spin, but war.
Civil War roots: Absentee voting emerged during the Civil War, as Union soldiers needed a way to vote from the field. It started as excuse‑required absentee voting, meant for soldiers, but symbolized a new promise that geography shouldn’t silence the citizen.
Expansion to civilians: By 1896, Vermont allowed civilian absentee ballots. By 1938, 42 states followed suit, opening the gates wider.
No‑excuse era: The 1970s ushered in a growing trend: states offering no‑excuse absentee voting. By 2024, 36 states plus D.C. had adopted it.
All‑mail pioneers: Oregon set the all‑mail precedent in 1998. Washington and Colorado followed suit, and by 2022, eight states (including California, Hawaii, Utah, Vermont, and Nevada) were conducting all elections by mail.
COVID tsunami: The 2020 pandemic propelled mail‑in voting into the mainstream. Suddenly, over 70% of votes were cast early, many by mail. By 2022, half of all votes were no longer cast in person on Election Day.
II. Is Mail-In Voting Reliable—or a One-Way Ride to Chaos?
Mail-in voting does have some problems, but they’re not widespread.
Rejection rates
As of 2020, about 1% of mail‑in ballots were rejected versus 0.01% for in‑person voting. Common causes: bad signature, missed deadline, missing signature.
Fraud levels
Between 2000 and 2012, there were 491 prosecutions for absentee‑related fraud out of billions of ballots cast. A minuscule drop in the sea.
Experts emphasize that the greater risk is not fraud, but technical rejection of legitimate ballots for not matching signatures or being lost in transit.
Signature verification and “curing”
31 states verify signatures; others require witness or notary signatures. But only 16 states allow voters to correct mistakes after rejection.
In Florida 2020, 73% of rejected ballots were "cured"; in Vermont 2022, 61% were.
Security measures
Some states embed watermarks, special paper, or unique scanner-compatible materials to shield against forgery.
Systemic factors
USPS financial woes can delay ballot delivery, especially concerning in jurisdictions where postmarks don't count.
The so-called “blue shift” (late-arriving Democratic-leaning ballots) can feed conspiracy theories—especially when in‑person counts lead early.
Bottom line: Mail-in voting is more glitch-prone than in-person—mostly due to logistics and verification, not fraud. But with careful design, good notifications, strong verification, and solid delivery, it’s not some wild beast; it’s an evolving tool.
III. A Swedish Democracy Watchdog’s Take: 34 Countries & Territories Allow Mail-In Voting—but We’re Not All the Same
Per that Swedish report (via PolitiFact), 34 countries or territories allow mail‑in voting, but they don’t agree on how ballots move from desk to counting machine. politifact.com
Ballot tracking:
The U.S. tracks ballots every step—voter drops it in, USPS moves it, county scans it, signature verified, ballot opened. Many countries don’t bother tracking.
Varied systems:
Some countries use mail ballots for citizens abroad. Others allow in-country early voting via postal systems—other systems, other rules, all depending on legal architecture and public trust. The Swedish report highlights there’s no global template.
Takeaway: 34 nations & territories might share the surface feature—mail ballots—but the devil is in the details. Tracking, verification, infrastructure—this is where systems diverge, and where the U.S. claims an edge.
Final Thoughts
The U.S. isn’t some lone island of mail-in voting. We’re in a club, some 34 members strong. But we do sweat the details where many other countries don’t: tracking, curing, security.
Mail-in voting isn’t perfect, but it’s not a wild rodeo, either. It’s a tool that’s evolving, imperfect, and human, just like democracy itself.
Sources & Further Reading
PolitiFact – Fact-check on Trump’s claim about mail-in voting abroad
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2025/aug/18/donald-trump/mail-voting-elections-Trump-Russia-Ukraine/Wikipedia – Postal Voting in the United States (overview, history, state laws, reliability)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_voting_in_the_United_StatesTIME – The history of voting by mail in the U.S.
https://time.com/5892357/voting-by-mail-history/AP News – How COVID reshaped early and mail-in voting
https://apnews.com/article/0dcd5e94b91410d39c66586a6020464dInternational IDEA (Stockholm-based democracy organization) – Electoral system reports
https://www.idea.int/