Argentina
South America · ar
Federal presidential republic. The 257-seat Chamber of Deputies is elected by provincial proportional representation and renewed by halves every two years; the 72-seat Senate is renewed by thirds, with three senators per province and Buenos Aires City.
Profile last reviewed July 23, 2026
Argentina automatically registers native and naturalized citizens under age and citizenship rules. Voting is compulsory for most citizens aged 18 to 70 and optional for 16- and 17-year-olds, people over 70 and registered citizens abroad. National elections now use a state-printed single paper ballot, with polling-station counts followed by definitive judicial scrutiny.
How voting works today
- Voting age
- 16 and over
- Voter registration
- Automatic
- Identification
- Photo ID required
- Compulsory voting
- Yes
- Postal voting
- Not available
- Early voting
- Not available
- Online voting
- Not available
- Voting from abroad
- Restricted
Native and by-option citizens enter the register from age 16; naturalized citizens vote from 18. Voters must show the same or a later physical DNI version than the one listed on the roll. Citizens abroad must have an overseas address recorded in the DNI and vote in person at designated diplomatic polling places.
How the franchise changed
Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.
- 1912Expansion
The Sáenz Peña Law established secret and compulsory national voting for male citizens on an official register.
Law 8,871 - 1947Expansion
Law 13,010 recognized equal national political rights for women, first exercised in a national election in 1951.
Law 13,010 on women's political rights - 2012Expansion
Law 26,774 lowered the voting age to 16 for native and by-option citizens, with no penalty for non-voting before age 18.
Electors - 2024Reform
Law 27,781 replaced party-supplied national ballots with an official single paper ballot containing all lists and categories.
Law 27,781
Safeguards on the count
- Ballot type
- Paper ballots
- Post-election audit
- Judicial challenge only
- Election administration
- Mixed / decentralised
- Domestic observers
- Yes
- International observers
- Yes
The executive's National Electoral Directorate supplies materials and logistics; federal electoral judges and district electoral boards supervise legality and conduct the definitive scrutiny. Polling authorities count the single paper ballots in front of party agents and issue signed count certificates.
Worth knowing
- The National Electoral Code places national elections on the fourth Sunday in October; absent a legal change, that makes 24 October the expected 2027 date.National Electoral Code
- The single paper ballot is the only valid official ballot for national elections and is printed in the register quantity plus a five-percent contingency.Law 27,781
Elections in the database
- 2027Argentina 2027 Legislative ElectionElection Watch
People
- Head of stateJavier MileiPresident of Argentina
Sources
- National Electoral Code— Government of Argentina
- Electors— National Electoral Chamber
- Electoral legislation— National Electoral Directorate