The above map shows which countries allow inmates to vote. Disenfranchisement (being deprived of the right to vote) is a contentious issue and is not commonly excercised in Europe which puts it in stark contrast to countries like the United States.
Countries have been assigned to four different buckets according the key you will find below. The European Court of Human Rights has in the past 15 years ruled that countries with blanket voting bans should expand the rights of inmates. Presented information can be out of date if legislation has been amended; in that case please leave a comment.
**Dark Green:**
Countries where all inmates are allowed to vote. Countries where inmates are allowed to vote unless they have been convicted of crimes that targeted the state or democratic order.
**Light Green:**
Countries where disenfranchisement can be used as an additional penalty but the penalty is not automatic and is used very rarely.
**Yellow:**
Countries where disenfranchisement is automatic for longer sentences and/or has to be explicitly waived by the judge during sentencing.
**Red:**
Countries where most or all inmates are not allowed to vote.
**Other:**
Andorra does not have specific legislation regulating the issue. Vatican has no traditional elections.
Interesting. Newer though of it, but it does make some sense that inmates don’t get to vote. After all, they are inmates for a reason, and I assume they get to vote again when they have served their sentence.
Well, I was not aware this is turning into mapporn v2.0
While the news are getting censored by mods.
You missed a country
So what is the rational here for the countries that allow full voting?
If you are in prison for committing a crime (lets say murder or child abuse to be extreme) and rather than creating wealth through taxes you are being kept by the tax money people pay, why should you have a right to vote?
~~I understand it is a right, but surely that right comes with those who actual contribute to society and not those who are a detriment to it…~~
(Edit to clarify): It costs the government tens of thousands per inmate per year. They have chosen to break the rules of the country they live in. Why should they have an equal say in the running of a country when they are detrimental to its society?
This is so fucked up ngl
Super surprised, about the prevalence of no voting rights.
The representation of Austria is incorrect.
There are criteria under which inmates in Austria can be prevented from voting. It also has to be enacted on an individual basis for each inmate, through a judge. It is not the default. Almost all inmates in Austria are able to vote, assuming that they are entitled to vote in Austria in the first place.
All those who are subject to the laws with permanent or very long residency should have the right to vote imo
The Netherlands should be light green (maybe even dark green) according to your key and the report by the EU. The BBC source is wrong.
>According to a Commission-funded report from 2020, this provision acts as a triple cumulative filter: an individual must have committed an offence that could be sanctioned with disenfranchisement, they must have been finally sentenced to imprisonment of 1 year or longer and a judge must have ruled to disenfranchise them.
Ergo, no automatic disenfranchisement.
Russia: mostly unable to vote unless Putin needs some more votes :3
Everyone should be allowed to vote. Inmates still need to feel they are a part of a society.
WTF, I thought it’s in the declaration of human rights or something. Super suprised by UK and Austria
Wenn sei eingsperrt sin ham se au kein recht zu wähln so is das! 👌🏻
Not surprised that UK is red
Iceland is wrong I think. All inmates who are citizens are eligible to vote.
I cannot find anything about Icelandic prisoners not being allowed to vote. Looks like access to voting places from prison has been a problem though but I cannot find anything recent.
Break laws and loose privileges. Shocker
I think we have it right tbh
In Greece the party that reduced sentences over serious crimes and reformed the legislation so they can get out after a smaller portion of their sentence served, even for homicides that was, got an astonishing 92% of inmates votes. So there’s that
all citizens must be allowed a vote, and that is good.
Obvious yes for everyone to vote, fuck the countries that put former felons into a state of “you fucked up for life for that little Twix you stole”. Can you imagine that everyone where you live know that you’re a felon and you’ll NEVER be able to have a normal life again where you’ll get friends or a job???
Prison in norway does it right, it’s a rehabilitation not a punishment.
Why punish people after they’ve been in prison????
San Marino has one person in prison, so that red dot just applies to them currently
I thought you were allowed to vote in NI because of the Good Friday Agreement?
Technically Vatican should be green as cardinals are imprisoned during conclave.
Green is based. Otherwise politicians can just pass laws to arrest the people who won’t vote for them like they do in the USA.
Op can you find any polish source regarding Poland, becaouse I could find any (any your flare says Poland) tho I did just a quick Google l.
How do you think Britain managed to ship all those convicts to Australia? 😉
Ever since the release of the Brexit song I’ve known that prisoners in the UK aren’t allowed to vote.
I feel like anyone not fit for society, i.e murderers/rapists and repeat offenders should just not have voting rights, period. In fact no rights, but I guess that’s too extreme for most folks, so I’d settle for life in prison or death, and no voting.
If you’re not part of society, then just go away. If you want to be, stop stabbing people.
In ruzzia, they send you on suicidal meat waves that get foiled by drones
Paging /r/PORTUGALCYKABLYAT, good news this time!
Feels like people do maps like these intentionally against colorblind at this point. Jeez
Holy shit! I didn’t think that right to vote could be taken away with criminal record. This is so wrong. (I’m from Finland).
Here in Italy the jailed population voting rights restrictions are often justified as “it is a security risk for them to vote” as in “they might escape when going to vote”
But not only is (theoretically) every single jail required to have voting facilities set up for the occasion, but the voting right restrictions are applied to everyone who has a sentence of detention longer than 5 years, which is incredibly low and cuts out a fuckton of the incarcerated.
We have Antigone, which is a no profit for the rights of the incarcerated, that fights to better this situation, but progress Is incredibly hard to achieve given the general disinterested attitude the Italian people have toward our incarcerated population.
Let me just quote from the UDHR- which the UK not only signed but helped draft in 1948:
“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”
And:
“The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”
To be correct, in France and most yellows, the electoral ban only applies if the person was involved with political crime aka bribes or frauds, sabotage of subterfuge in elections.
The green countries just pretend it doesn’t happen.
39 comments
The above map shows which countries allow inmates to vote. Disenfranchisement (being deprived of the right to vote) is a contentious issue and is not commonly excercised in Europe which puts it in stark contrast to countries like the United States.
Countries have been assigned to four different buckets according the key you will find below. The European Court of Human Rights has in the past 15 years ruled that countries with blanket voting bans should expand the rights of inmates. Presented information can be out of date if legislation has been amended; in that case please leave a comment.
**Dark Green:**
Countries where all inmates are allowed to vote. Countries where inmates are allowed to vote unless they have been convicted of crimes that targeted the state or democratic order.
**Light Green:**
Countries where disenfranchisement can be used as an additional penalty but the penalty is not automatic and is used very rarely.
**Yellow:**
Countries where disenfranchisement is automatic for longer sentences and/or has to be explicitly waived by the judge during sentencing.
**Red:**
Countries where most or all inmates are not allowed to vote.
**Other:**
Andorra does not have specific legislation regulating the issue. Vatican has no traditional elections.
*Sources:*
[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/751459/EPRS_BRI(2023)751459_EN.pdf](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/751459/EPRS_BRI(2023)751459_EN.pdf)
[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-20447504](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-20447504)
Finally have a map not like all the others.
Interesting. Newer though of it, but it does make some sense that inmates don’t get to vote. After all, they are inmates for a reason, and I assume they get to vote again when they have served their sentence.
Well, I was not aware this is turning into mapporn v2.0
While the news are getting censored by mods.
You missed a country
So what is the rational here for the countries that allow full voting?
If you are in prison for committing a crime (lets say murder or child abuse to be extreme) and rather than creating wealth through taxes you are being kept by the tax money people pay, why should you have a right to vote?
~~I understand it is a right, but surely that right comes with those who actual contribute to society and not those who are a detriment to it…~~
(Edit to clarify): It costs the government tens of thousands per inmate per year. They have chosen to break the rules of the country they live in. Why should they have an equal say in the running of a country when they are detrimental to its society?
This is so fucked up ngl
Super surprised, about the prevalence of no voting rights.
The representation of Austria is incorrect.
There are criteria under which inmates in Austria can be prevented from voting. It also has to be enacted on an individual basis for each inmate, through a judge. It is not the default. Almost all inmates in Austria are able to vote, assuming that they are entitled to vote in Austria in the first place.
[https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/transparenz_und_partizipation_in_der_demokratie/demokratie-und-wahlen/wahlen/1/Seite.320210.html#ausschluss](https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/transparenz_und_partizipation_in_der_demokratie/demokratie-und-wahlen/wahlen/1/Seite.320210.html#ausschluss)
All those who are subject to the laws with permanent or very long residency should have the right to vote imo
The Netherlands should be light green (maybe even dark green) according to your key and the report by the EU. The BBC source is wrong.
>According to a Commission-funded report from 2020, this provision acts as a triple cumulative filter: an individual must have committed an offence that could be sanctioned with disenfranchisement, they must have been finally sentenced to imprisonment of 1 year or longer and a judge must have ruled to disenfranchise them.
Ergo, no automatic disenfranchisement.
Russia: mostly unable to vote unless Putin needs some more votes :3
Everyone should be allowed to vote. Inmates still need to feel they are a part of a society.
WTF, I thought it’s in the declaration of human rights or something. Super suprised by UK and Austria
Wenn sei eingsperrt sin ham se au kein recht zu wähln so is das! 👌🏻
Not surprised that UK is red
Iceland is wrong I think. All inmates who are citizens are eligible to vote.
I cannot find anything about Icelandic prisoners not being allowed to vote. Looks like access to voting places from prison has been a problem though but I cannot find anything recent.
Break laws and loose privileges. Shocker
I think we have it right tbh
In Greece the party that reduced sentences over serious crimes and reformed the legislation so they can get out after a smaller portion of their sentence served, even for homicides that was, got an astonishing 92% of inmates votes. So there’s that
all citizens must be allowed a vote, and that is good.
Obvious yes for everyone to vote, fuck the countries that put former felons into a state of “you fucked up for life for that little Twix you stole”. Can you imagine that everyone where you live know that you’re a felon and you’ll NEVER be able to have a normal life again where you’ll get friends or a job???
Prison in norway does it right, it’s a rehabilitation not a punishment.
Why punish people after they’ve been in prison????
San Marino has one person in prison, so that red dot just applies to them currently
I thought you were allowed to vote in NI because of the Good Friday Agreement?
Technically Vatican should be green as cardinals are imprisoned during conclave.
Well, in Ireland, we don’t even send our [criminals to prison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Nol an_(judge)#Judicial_career) 😏
Green is based. Otherwise politicians can just pass laws to arrest the people who won’t vote for them like they do in the USA.
Op can you find any polish source regarding Poland, becaouse I could find any (any your flare says Poland) tho I did just a quick Google l.
How do you think Britain managed to ship all those convicts to Australia? 😉
Ever since the release of the Brexit song I’ve known that prisoners in the UK aren’t allowed to vote.
I feel like anyone not fit for society, i.e murderers/rapists and repeat offenders should just not have voting rights, period. In fact no rights, but I guess that’s too extreme for most folks, so I’d settle for life in prison or death, and no voting.
If you’re not part of society, then just go away. If you want to be, stop stabbing people.
In ruzzia, they send you on suicidal meat waves that get foiled by drones
Paging /r/PORTUGALCYKABLYAT, good news this time!
Feels like people do maps like these intentionally against colorblind at this point. Jeez
Holy shit! I didn’t think that right to vote could be taken away with criminal record. This is so wrong. (I’m from Finland).
Here in Italy the jailed population voting rights restrictions are often justified as “it is a security risk for them to vote” as in “they might escape when going to vote”
But not only is (theoretically) every single jail required to have voting facilities set up for the occasion, but the voting right restrictions are applied to everyone who has a sentence of detention longer than 5 years, which is incredibly low and cuts out a fuckton of the incarcerated.
We have Antigone, which is a no profit for the rights of the incarcerated, that fights to better this situation, but progress Is incredibly hard to achieve given the general disinterested attitude the Italian people have toward our incarcerated population.
Let me just quote from the UDHR- which the UK not only signed but helped draft in 1948:
“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”
And:
“The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”
To be correct, in France and most yellows, the electoral ban only applies if the person was involved with political crime aka bribes or frauds, sabotage of subterfuge in elections.
The green countries just pretend it doesn’t happen.
Comments are closed.