Extreme weather events have disrupted at least 94 elections and referendums across 52 countries over the past two decades, according to the first global study of its kind by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (an intergovernmental body that supports democratic processes worldwide). In 2024 alone, 23 elections in 18 countries — including Brazil, Senegal, and Bosnia and Herzegovina — were affected by floods, heatwaves, and other climate hazards that damaged infrastructure, displaced voters, or forced last-minute changes to electoral procedures. The report's authors are urging election authorities to coordinate with meteorological and disaster-relief agencies, and to consider rescheduling votes away from predictable climate risk periods — a recommendation already being acted on by Alberta, Canada, which plans to shift its provincial election date from May to October to avoid wildfire season.