What Is The Largest Democracy In The World?

India is the world's largest democracy with a total population which is in excess of 1 billion people.  Over 668 million people in India are eligible to vote and there are 543 parliamentary constituencies.
The population of India is around four times that of the United States, so even the logistics of organising an election are huge!

For the first time, in 2004, India voted electronically.  This was done to try and stop vote rigging or people voting twice.  Many people in the more rural areas of India are unable to read or write and so they voted by making a thumb 'print' on the voting card.  However, this could be abused and many people were suspicious.

The new electronic systems were accessible to everyone since each party had a symbol on the electronic display so even people who could neither read or write could easily cast their vote.  

Another benefit of the electronic system is that the results are available within several hours, whereas previously it took well over a day to ascertain who had won, but even longer to count every single vote!