How many countries vote by mail? What to know as Trump targets mail-in ballots

President Donald Trump announced he will attempt to outlaw voting by mail ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS,” Trump said in an Aug. 18 post on Truth Social. He also said he would seek to eliminate “seriously controversial” voting machines.

These measures, the president said, would be included in an upcoming executive order on election integrity.

Justifying his stance, Trump — who has repeatedly made false claims about mail-in voting — said the U.S. is an outlier when it comes to voting via the post.

“We are now the only Country in the World that uses Mail-In Voting,” he said. “All others gave it up because of the MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ENCOUNTERED.”

This claim, however, is inaccurate.

What countries vote by mail?

Many countries around the world allow voting by mail. These include: Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia and the U.K.

According to a 2020 Pew Research Center report, which cited the Electoral Integrity Project, 40 nations had used mail-in ballots during their most recent nationwide elections.

“Postal ballots were used most widely in Europe and North America and are also common in some countries in the Asia-Pacific region, such as India, Indonesia, South Korea and Sri Lanka,” according to the polling organization. “Postal ballots were not available in most African and Caribbean countries, and not available in any Middle Eastern or Latin American countries.”

While the specific policies differ from country to country, each of these 40 permits at least certain groups of individuals to cast their ballots in the mail.

For example, Australian voters can vote by mail if they are distant from polling stations, traveling or ill. In contrast, most U.K. voters can apply to vote by mail without providing a reason.

In the U.S., by comparison, requirements for voting by mail vary by state.

Mail-in voting has grown increasingly popular in recent years, comprising about 30% of ballots cast in the 2024 election, down from a record 43% during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic election, according to U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Did countries ban mail-in voting because of fraud?

Trump’s claim that every other nation banned mail-in voting due to “massive voter fraud” is also broadly inaccurate. At least one country has enacted such a measure, though.

France outlawed voting by mail in 1975 due to concerns about fraud — particularly in Corsica, according to The Associated Press and The New York Times.

But, many other nations continue to allow postal voting — a practice that has been “scaled up” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Electoral Integrity Project.

Is voter fraud a problem in mail-in voting?

Multiple studies and reports have found that voter fraud in U.S. elections — whether in-person or via the mail — is very rare.

A 2021 University of Chicago study found “no evidence of systemic voter fraud” in the 2020 election.

And a 2020 report by the American Statistical Association concluded there is “no evidence that voting by mail increases the risk of voter fraud overall.”

The same year, a Washington Post analysis of three states found 372 potential cases of voter fraud out of 14.6 million mail-in ballots cast in 2016 and 2018.

And — despite his repeated claims of widespread fraud — Trump himself has voted by mail, most recently in Florida in 2020, according to NPR.

This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 2:32 PM with the headline "How many countries vote by mail? What to know as Trump targets mail-in ballots."