Turnout has been on a historic downward trend in recent years - with the exception of President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign and participation has hovered between 48% and 57% in US presidential elections since 1980.

While most Americans – 70% in a recent Pew Research Center survey – say high turnout in presidential elections is very important, what constitutes “high turnout” depends very much on which country you’re looking at and which measuring stick you use.

Americans are unhappy with this year’s presidential election. Apart from being dissatisfied with the two major-party nominees, many are now concerned about voter fraud, convinced that Donald Trump won’t concede if he loses and just generally stressed about the whole thing.

Voting-eligible people in the European country viewed positively for its quality of life rank at the bottom of developed countries when it comes to voting.

“In some places there are active measures to make it harder to vote, and in some places there’s an absent effort to make it easier to vote,” an elections expert says.

A sweeping new report says the government must do more to protect minorities’ right to vote.

In Hawaii, Illinois and Vermont, voters who haven’t registered yet will be able to on Election Day, right before they cast a ballot. In Indiana, Mississippi and Georgia, the registration deadline is now weeks past, and registered voters who turn up will have to show a photo ID.

Because states and localities have central roles in election mechanics, policies can vary widely across approximately 10,500 election jurisdictions. It is important for people to know what their options are for registration and voting.

Seven ways that states have made it increasingly more difficult and frustrating to vote on election day.

Eleven countries — including Australia, Singapore, and Brazil — enforce compulsory voting laws, and another 11 have them on the books but don't enforce them. But politicians and commentators in the US rarely mention the idea.

The use of internet - or electronic - voting in elections is growing. But there are still plenty of concerns about reliability, safety and privacy. Will electing your government via the tap of a smartphone ever catch on?