Special votes are ballots cast by people who, for specific reasons, cannot use the normal “show up and vote like everyone else” process, so their eligibility must be checked separately before those ballots are added to the main count.

What are “special votes”?

In many countries, a special vote is used when a voter cannot cast an ordinary vote at their usual voting station or in the usual way.

Typical situations include being away from your home area, being overseas, having mobility or health issues, or having registration details that are not up to date on election day.

Key idea:

  • You are still allowed to vote, but your ballot goes through an extra validation process before it is counted.

When do people use special votes?

People usually cast special votes when:

  1. They are outside their registered voting district or travelling on election day.
  1. They are overseas and vote at embassies or consulates instead of a normal local station.
  1. They are physically unable to get to a voting station (for example because of illness, disability, or advanced age), so officials come to them or give them an early option.
  1. Their voter registration or address details are missing or out of date, so extra checks are needed to confirm they are allowed to vote.

All of these fall under the broad label “special votes”, even though the precise rules differ by country.

How do special votes work in practice?

While details differ, the pattern is similar:

  • Application or declaration : In many systems, you apply for a special vote (for example, home visit or early vote) and are approved if you meet criteria.
  • Separate handling : Your ballot is sealed in an envelope with your details on the outside so officials can verify your eligibility without seeing how you voted.
  • Eligibility checks : Election staff confirm you are registered, in the right category, and have not already voted.
  • Later counting : Only after these checks are done are the envelopes separated from identifying info and the ballots mixed in and counted like ordinary votes.

Because of those extra steps, special votes often:

  • Take longer to process and count than ordinary votes.
  • Are only fully included in the final official result, not in the first “election night” numbers.

Why are special votes a big deal in results?

Special votes can be politically important because:

  • They are counted later, so they can shift seat numbers or margins after the initial election-night projections.
  • In some countries, special voters tend to be younger, more mobile (e.g., students, people who move often, overseas workers), and in recent elections have leaned a bit more toward left‑leaning parties.
  • In close races, these late-counted ballots can decide the final outcome or at least change how many seats each party gets.

Example: In a recent New Zealand election, about 567,000 special votes were not in the election-night total, and historically those special votes have tended to favor more left-leaning parties, sometimes narrowing the gap in the final result.

Quick FAQ style recap

  • Q: What are the special votes?
    A: Ballots from voters who cannot cast a normal vote (away, overseas, ill, unregistered properly) and whose eligibility must be confirmed before their votes are counted.
  • Q: Why do they take longer?
    A: Officials must verify identity, registration, category, and that you have not voted already before opening and counting the ballot.
  • Q: Do they always favor one side?
    A: Not by rule, but in some recent elections, special votes have tended to skew toward younger and more mobile voters, which in some countries have leaned more left.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.