{"id":20256,"date":"2026-01-30T14:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/?p=20256"},"modified":"2026-02-28T11:29:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T19:29:18","slug":"what-countries-have-voter-identification-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/2026\/01\/30\/what-countries-have-voter-identification-requirements\/","title":{"rendered":"What countries have voter identification requirements?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I saw posts online saying voter ID requirements (demonstrating citizenship) in the US would disenfranchise college students and people who have changed their name, such as women or men who got married and changed their surname.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those assertions, however, are not true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>89% of those age 18 and up have proof of citizenship documents.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>9% have them but they are not readily available, such as college students who left them at their parent&#8217;s home.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Just 2% lack any documentation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Of those who lack documentation, they are primarily age 18-24 &#8211; mostly in rural areas &#8211; plus the very elderly. Most of the young will eventually obtain documentation as they grow older.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Data comes from surveys done by YouGov, Pew Research, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brennancenter.org\/our-work\/research-reports\/citizens-without-proof\">Brennan Center for Justice<\/a>, Cato Institute, a Reuters news article and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hoover.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-04\/The%20State%20of%20American%20Citizenship%202023.pdf\">Good American Citizen Project<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, moving to college does not invalidate your identification. In fact, passports, Social Security cards and birth certificates do not have an address on them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third, changing your name does not invalidate past documents. All past ID documents remain valid. You might be required to provide a &#8220;linking document&#8221; that links your past name to your current name &#8211; this can be a marriage certificate or Court order regarding a name change. Here is an official US government statement on this: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.help.cbp.gov\/s\/article\/Article-1284?language=en_US\">US Citizens\/Lawful Permanent Residents name does not match documents<\/a> <strong>Note<\/strong> &#8211; we do not know how the SAVE Act might implement this &#8211; would they adopt the CBP approach or require something different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The social media argument around name changes problems is based on the &#8220;false premise&#8217; form of argument or &#8220;false assertion&#8221; by asserting that college students and those who change their name would not be able to vote. This is false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This post was created using conventional online search, AI-assisted search including several separate AI search systems, manual cross checks of AI search results, some AI text generation, and lots of manual editing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should the U.S. have voter ID requirements?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I have no idea. The purpose of this post is to highlight that some of the arguments around voter ID in the US are nonsensical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Half of US states have a photo ID requirement already, one quarter have an alternative ID requirement, and one quarter have no ID requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Changing your name or going to college has little or no bearing on your ID documents, as claimed on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only 2% of Americans are estimated to have no citizenship documents &#8211; the most common form of documentation is the birth certificate. Birth certificates can be obtained from one&#8217;s county or state and in the US, vary in cost from $10 to $34 (depending on your location).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Birth certificate registration is handled automatically by hospitals at birth; less than 1% of births are outside hospitals and nearly 100% of those are attended by a certified midwife or other health care practitioner and they are required to register the birth. At time of registration, the family can (essentially automatically) request a certified birth certificate. A birth certificate is generally required for enrolling students in school, and to obtain health and auto insurance that names the child on the insurance policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In looking up information on voter ID, I learned that most countries in the world have voter identification requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nearly All Countries and Half of US States Have Voter ID Requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Globally, nearly all countries require some form of voter ID, most requiring either government issued photo ID or a voter ID card (which typically includes a photo).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>46 of 47 countries in the European region have photo ID requirements in order to vote. The UK is the exception but is in process of mandatory ID being required.  Sweden permits alternative IDs if a photo ID is unavailable. India and Mexico require identification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canada uses &#8220;voter information cards&#8221; and allows some &#8220;alternative&#8221; proof of identity documents; photo ID is not mandated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>36 US states require some form of voter ID &#8211; depending on state this can be either photo ID or non-photo ID. Some states provide a voter photo ID card at no charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"701\" height=\"268\" src=\"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-321.png?wsr\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-321.png 701w, https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-321-600x229.png 600w, https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-321-604x231.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>States Not Requiring Photo ID but accepting alternate ID may accept the following:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Utility bill<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bank statement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Government document with name\/address<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Voter registration card<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social Security card<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Birth certificate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>13 states have no ID requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global List of Countries by Voter ID Requirement<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>These lists of countries were created with the assistance of AI search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cRequires voter ID\u201d<\/strong> means the country requires <strong>any<\/strong> form of identification (photo or non\u2011photo) at the polling place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cDoes not require voter ID\u201d<\/strong> means the country allows voting <strong>without presenting ID<\/strong>, relying instead on signature matching, voter cards, attestations, or other verification.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some countries have <strong>mixed systems<\/strong> (e.g., ID required only in certain elections or regions).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Europe is the clearest region: <strong>46 of 47 European countries require photo ID<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Countries That Require Voter Identification<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Africa (All countries)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Algeria<br>Angola<br>Benin<br>Botswana<br>Burkina Faso<br>Burundi<br>Cabo Verde<br>Cameroon<br>Central African Republic<br>Chad<br>Comoros<br>Congo (Republic of)<br>Congo (Democratic Republic of)<br>C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<br>Djibouti<br>Egypt<br>Equatorial Guinea<br>Eritrea<br>Eswatini<br>Ethiopia<br>Gabon<br>Gambia<br>Ghana<br>Guinea<br>Guinea\u2011Bissau<br>Kenya<br>Lesotho<br>Liberia<br>Libya<br>Madagascar<br>Malawi<br>Mali<br>Mauritania<br>Mauritius<br>Morocco<br>Mozambique<br>Namibia<br>Niger<br>Nigeria<br>Rwanda<br>S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe<br>Senegal<br>Seychelles<br>Sierra Leone<br>Somalia<br>South Africa<br>South Sudan<br>Sudan<br>Tanzania<br>Togo<br>Tunisia<br>Uganda<br>Zambia<br>Zimbabwe<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(Africa overwhelmingly requires voter ID; no credible sources identify any African country without ID requirements.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Europe (46 of 47 require photo ID)<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Require voter ID:<\/strong><br>Albania<br>Andorra<br>Armenia<br>Austria<br>Azerbaijan<br>Belarus<br>Belgium<br>Bosnia and Herzegovina<br>Bulgaria<br>Croatia<br>Cyprus<br>Czech Republic<br>Denmark (ID required on request)<br>Estonia<br>Finland<br>France<br>Georgia<br>Germany<br>Greece<br>Hungary<br>Iceland<br>Ireland<br>Italy<br>Kazakhstan<br>Kosovo<br>Latvia<br>Liechtenstein<br>Lithuania<br>Luxembourg<br>Malta<br>Moldova<br>Monaco<br>Montenegro<br>Netherlands<br>North Macedonia<br>Norway<br>Poland<br>Portugal<br>Romania<br>Russia<br>San Marino<br>Serbia<br>Slovakia<br>Slovenia<br>Spain<br>Sweden<br>Switzerland<br>Turkey<br>Ukraine<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Historically did NOT require ID:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>United Kingdom<\/strong> (is now transitioning to mandatory ID)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>North America<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Require voter ID:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Barbados<br>Belize<br>Costa Rica<br>Cuba<br>Dominican Republic<br>El Salvador<br>Guatemala<br>Haiti<br>Honduras<br>Jamaica<br>Mexico (strict national voter ID card)<br>Nicaragua<br>Panama<br>Trinidad and Tobago<br>United States (varies by state with half requiring photo ID, one quarter permitting a non-photo ID, and about one quarter having no ID requirements)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Do NOT require voter ID:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Canada<\/strong> (allows multiple non\u2011ID alternatives such as attestation)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>South America<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Require voter ID:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Argentina (compulsory voting; national ID required)<br>Bolivia<br>Brazil<br>Chile<br>Colombia<br>Ecuador<br>Guyana<br>Paraguay<br>Peru<br>Suriname<br>Uruguay<br>Venezuela<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Asia<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Require voter ID:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Afghanistan<br>Armenia<br>Azerbaijan<br>Bahrain<br>Bangladesh<br>Bhutan<br>Brunei<br>Cambodia<br>China<br>Georgia<br>India (EPIC voter ID system)<br>Indonesia<br>Iran<br>Iraq<br>Israel<br>Japan<br>Jordan<br>Kazakhstan<br>Kuwait<br>Kyrgyzstan<br>Laos<br>Lebanon<br>Malaysia<br>Maldives<br>Mongolia<br>Myanmar<br>Nepal<br>North Korea<br>Oman<br>Pakistan<br>Philippines<br>Qatar<br>Saudi Arabia<br>Singapore<br>South Korea<br>Sri Lanka<br>Syria<br>Taiwan<br>Tajikistan<br>Thailand<br>Timor\u2011Leste<br>Turkey<br>Turkmenistan<br>United Arab Emirates<br>Uzbekistan<br>Vietnam<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Oceania<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Require voter ID:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Fiji<br>Papua New Guinea<br>Samoa<br>Solomon Islands<br>Tonga<br>Vanuatu<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Do NOT require voter ID:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Australia<\/strong> (signature check; ID not required in federal elections)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New Zealand<\/strong> (no ID required; relies on voter roll + mailed card)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udded <strong>Summary Table<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Region<\/th><th>Countries Requiring Voter ID<\/th><th>Countries Not Requiring Voter ID<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Africa<\/strong><\/td><td>All<\/td><td>None<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Europe<\/strong><\/td><td>46 of 47<\/td><td>Historically UK only (now requiring)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>North America<\/strong><\/td><td>Most<\/td><td>Canada<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>South America<\/strong><\/td><td>All<\/td><td>None<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Asia<\/strong><\/td><td>Nearly all<\/td><td>None identified<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Oceania<\/strong><\/td><td>Most<\/td><td>Australia, New Zealand<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The global norm is voter ID.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Europe is nearly universal<\/strong> in requiring <strong>photo ID<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Canada, Australia, New Zealand<\/strong> are the most notable democracies <strong>without mandatory voter ID<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The U.S. is mixed<\/strong>, with many states requiring ID and others not.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li> <strong>ID requirements dominate worldwide<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Half of US states and most countries of the world require photo ID to vote. About 12 US states accept alternative identification and 13 have no ID requirements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-assertion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20256"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20496,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20256\/revisions\/20496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coldstreams.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}