All election hubs Interstate wars

Elections Under Fire

Every election in the atlas held while the country was fighting a major war — from Lincoln's 1864 re-election mid-Civil War and Britain's coupon election of 1918 to Israel's wartime ballots and Russia's 2024 ritual. Voting during wartime is democracy's hardest test; here is every time it was taken.

63 wartime ballots · 46 held as free contests · 11 major wars

free contest restricted or tilted unfree ritual

Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–present)

Flag of UkraineUkraine 2014— Petro Poroshenko BlocFlag of UkraineUkraine 2014 presidential— Petro PoroshenkoFlag of RussiaRussia 2016— United RussiaFlag of RussiaRussia 2018 presidential— Vladimir PutinFlag of UkraineUkraine 2019— Servant of the PeopleFlag of UkraineUkraine 2019 presidential— Volodymyr ZelenskyyFlag of RussiaRussia 2021— United RussiaFlag of RussiaRussia 2024 presidential— Vladimir Putin

Gaza–Israel conflict (2006–present)

Flag of IsraelIsrael 2006— KadimaFlag of IsraelIsrael 2009— KadimaFlag of IsraelIsrael 2013— Likud Yisrael BeiteinuFlag of IsraelIsrael 2015— LikudFlag of IsraelIsrael April 2019— LikudFlag of IsraelIsrael September 2019— Blue and WhiteFlag of IsraelIsrael 2020— LikudFlag of IsraelIsrael 2021— LikudFlag of IsraelIsrael 2022— Likud

Second Chechen War (1999–2000)

Flag of RussiaRussia 1999— CPRFFlag of RussiaRussia 2000 presidential— Vladimir Putin

War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)

Flag of RussiaRussia 1993— Independents

Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988)

Flag of IraqIraq 1980— Ba'ath PartyFlag of United StatesUnited States 1980— Ronald ReaganFlag of IraqIraq 1984— Ba'ath PartyFlag of United StatesUnited States 1984— Ronald ReaganFlag of United StatesUnited States 1988— George H. W. Bush

Western Sahara War (1975–1991)

Flag of FranceFrance 1978— RPRFlag of FranceFrance 1981— PSFlag of FranceFrance 1981 presidential— François MitterrandFlag of FranceFrance 1986— UORFlag of FranceFrance 1988— PSFlag of FranceFrance 1988 presidential— François Mitterrand

Yom Kippur War (1973)

Flag of IsraelIsrael 1973— Alignment

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 (1971)

Flag of IndiaIndia 1971— Indian National Congress (R)

Vietnam War (1965–1973)

Flag of AustraliaAustralia 1966— Liberal–Country CoalitionFlag of New ZealandNew Zealand 1966— NationalFlag of South KoreaSouth Korea 1967— Democratic Republican PartyFlag of South KoreaSouth Korea 1967 presidential— Park Chung HeeFlag of United StatesUnited States 1968— Richard NixonFlag of AustraliaAustralia 1969— Liberal–Country CoalitionFlag of New ZealandNew Zealand 1969— NationalFlag of South KoreaSouth Korea 1971— Democratic Republican PartyFlag of South KoreaSouth Korea 1971 presidential— Park Chung HeeFlag of AustraliaAustralia 1972— LaborFlag of New ZealandNew Zealand 1972— LabourFlag of South KoreaSouth Korea 1972 presidential— Park Chung-heeFlag of United StatesUnited States 1972— Richard NixonFlag of South KoreaSouth Korea 1973— Democratic Republican Party

Korean War [ 9 ] (1950–1953)

Flag of BelgiumBelgium 1950— Christian Social PartyFlag of South KoreaSouth Korea 1950— IndependentsFlag of TurkeyTurkey 1950— Democrat PartyFlag of TurkeyTurkey 1950 presidential— Celâl BayarFlag of United KingdomUnited Kingdom 1950— LabourFlag of AustraliaAustralia 1951— Liberal–Country CoalitionFlag of FranceFrance 1951— Rally of the French PeopleFlag of New ZealandNew Zealand 1951— NationalFlag of United KingdomUnited Kingdom 1951— ConservativeFlag of NetherlandsNetherlands 1952— PvdAFlag of South KoreaSouth Korea 1952 presidential— Syngman RheeFlag of United StatesUnited States 1952— Dwight D. EisenhowerFlag of CanadaCanada 1953— LiberalFlag of South AfricaSouth Africa 1953— National Party

1948 Arab–Israeli War (1948–1949)

Flag of IraqIraq 1948— IndependenceFlag of IsraelIsrael 1949— Mapai