Family voting
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Form of electoral fraud
For proxy voting on behalf of a child, see Demeny voting.
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with Europe and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (February 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
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Family voting is a form of electoral fraud, where family members enter a voting booth together and collude, discuss, or direct voting intentions.[1] Family voting violates the individual voter sovereignty[2] and secret ballot principles of free and fair elections, by enabling undue influence and coercion during the voting process.[2] It can also occur during postal voting.[2]
Research in Turkey in 2019 suggested that family voting had been under-reported there.[3] In 2023, the United Kingdom passed the Ballot Secrecy Act to make it an offence for a person to "accompany an elector into a polling booth; or position near an elector inside a polling station with the intention of influencing how they cast their vote".[4] [5]
See also
[edit ]- Demeny voting – Type of proxy voting on behalf of children
References
[edit ]- ^ "Democracy Volunteers PRELIMINARY STATEMENT – Sweden General Election 09/09/18". Democracy Volunteers. 9 September 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
- ^ a b c Schaffer, Frederic Charles (2014). "Not-So-Individual Voting: Patriarchal Control and Familial Hedging in Political Elections around the World" . Journal of Women, Politics & Policy. 35 (4): 349–378. doi:10.1080/1554477X.2014.955407. ISSN 1554-477X . Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ Toros, Emre; Birch, Sarah (2019). "Who are the targets of familial electoral coercion? Evidence from Turkey". Democratization. 26 (8): 1342–1361. doi:10.1080/13510347.2019.1639151. ISSN 1351-0347 . Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ Winchester, Nicole (11 July 2022). Ballot Secrecy Bill [HL]: HL Bill 15 of 2022–23 (Report). House of Lords Library. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Ballot Secrecy Act", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 2023 c. 12