Elections have ceased to be domestic events to become, on some occasions, truly global events. And if there is one election that combines a unique electoral system, eccentric candidates, a media campaign and worldwide expectation, it is that of the United States. Despite being one of the most developed countries in the world, according to international methodologies such as The Economist Democracy Index or Varieties of Democracy (V-DEM) in terms of democratic quality it does not reach the levels of Western European countries or its neighbor Canada.

This has structural reasons such as the electoral system (indirect vote for president through the Electoral College), the politicization of the delimitation of districts (gerrymandering), the historical obstacles for the participation of specific groups, among others; in addition to current issues such as the erosion of the legitimacy of institutions, dissatisfaction with democracy and the judicialization of elections.

The administrative and electoral organization of the United States is a rara avis when compared to the rest of the American continent. While in most of the countries of the region there are electoral commissions with broad operational and jurisdictional powers for the organization of elections, the Americans have such a decentralized system that allows each of the more than three thousand counties throughout the country to have autonomy to design the regulations under which elections are held. Although the counties are under the jurisdiction and must respect the legal frameworks of each state, this does not guarantee that the procedures are standardized. Thus, in the same state we can find different voting methods, regulations for electoral registration, mechanisms for voter identification or tabulation of results. Even with this variety of systems and regulations, in a country of 350 million inhabitants the results of the presidential election were known a few hours after the closing of the polling stations.

Electoral Transparency had the opportunity to conduct a mission within the framework of the elections of November 5, 2024 and visited polling stations in three counties: Montgomery (Maryland), Miami-Dade (Florida) and Los Angeles (California). It is important to note that Los Angeles is the largest county in the United States, with more inhabitants (9.6 million) than 41 states in the country.

This experience allowed us to observe three different voting systems, although with a common element: the effort of the electoral authorities to facilitate participation through various voting modalities and the use of technology.

Latin America, with very different electoral systems and administrative organizations, can take some lessons in terms of voting facilities. The following are some of them.

1. In-person early voting

All three counties offered their voters the possibility of early voting, which encourages voter participation, especially since Election Day in the U.S. is Tuesday. Montgomery had 14 early voting polling places for eight days (October 24-31). Miami-Dade enjoyed this modality for fourteen days (October 21-November 3) with 32 centers available. Angelenos had the option to vote early starting on October 7 at the election office, almost a month before the election, and starting on October 26 at more than 120 polling places throughout the county.

2. Technologies observed in the casting of ballots

The United States has been a pioneer in the automation of electoral processes since the 1960s, when the first technological solutions such as punch card machines and computers for the canvass were implemented. Today, election technology is present in thousands of counties across the country.

In Montgomery, Election Systems & Software’s (ES&S) system has been in use since 2014, offering two modalities: voters can opt for a paper ballot that is scanned or vote directly on a touch-screen machine, which prints a physical receipt that is then scanned for counting.

In Miami-Dade County, the procedure is similar. Voters receive a ballot, mark their preferences by filling in ovals, and then feed it into a scanner (DS200) for tabulation. They can also use a touch-screen machine (Express Vote Unit) that records their preferences on a card, which is then scanned.

Finally, in Los Angeles we find the Voting Solution for All People (VSAP), a comprehensive system designed by the county authorities and developed by Smartmatic ( integration of the elements that constitute the VSAP system, system software and Ballot Marking Devices).

One of the most innovative aspects is that voters can “pre-mark” their preferences —before arriving at the polling place— from their computer or mobile device and generate a QR code called Poll Pass. This code is used to speed up the voting process and avoid crowds. Voters can take their Poll Pass on their smartphone and scan it at the polling place, where Ballot Marking Devices print the paper ballot with their selections. 

The voting system in Los Angeles is notable for its inclusive and accessible approach. The VSAP machines could display ballot options in up to 19 languages and allow you to adjust the font and contrast of the display and include a Braille control panel. They are designed for easy access for voters in wheelchairs and the touch screen was height adjustable. In addition, the machines do not store votes, ensuring the security and privacy of voters by only printing their preferences on paper ballots.

3. Vote by mail. 

The vote-by-mail option gained popularity, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Montgomery, voters could register for a vote-by-mail ballot by phone or text message and receive the ballot by mail (until October 29) or by e-mail (until November 1). In Miami-Dade, voters could apply to vote by mail in a variety of ways up to 12 days before the election. In Los Angeles, the more than 5 million voters automatically received the ballot by mail and could choose to mail it in, drop it in designated mailboxes, or take it to a polling place.

Lessons for Latin America

In the Latin American region, the paradigm of electoral manualism still prevails, that is to say, millions of people congregate on the same day in thousands of voting centers to cast their vote in person with a paper ballot, which is then counted by polling station authorities who by the time of the counting of the votes and the preparation of the minutes have already been in service for more than 12 hours.

Although so far this format has been maintained, decision makers should analyze successful experiences in other latitudes to facilitate the casting of votes, such as the implementation of technology in the authentication of the voter’s identity, the casting of the vote or the tabulation, as well as modalities such as voting by mail or by internet and early voting. 

These reforms could have a positive impact, especially in countries with low voter turnout rates, by making alternative mechanisms available to voters for casting their ballots. Finally, the political system would benefit from greater legitimacy if participation is effectively improved.

The experiences are diverse, but the successful ones have in common that they have originated from a broad debate with different actors (electoral authorities, political parties, civil society) to identify opportunities for improvement and develop specially designed solutions.

_{*Machine translation proofread by Janaína da Silva}