This month kicks off what The Economist calls the biggest election year in history.

Taiwan’s election will have the biggest geopolitical impact of all the elections due this month. Polls are close and Taiwanese voters are divided over how to respond to China’s increasing aggression.

Meanwhile, the United States presidential election kicks off with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. While the narrative says that Donald Trump has the Republican nomination in the bag, that result is far from guaranteed, and upsets in Iowa or New Hampshire could change the game. That would be a good thing as an overwhelming majority of Americans do not want a rematch between Trump and Joe Biden.

Bangladesh Parliamentary Elections: January 7, 2024

Somalia, Presidential Elections Puntland: January 8, 2023 (indirect – by parliament)

Bhutan Parliamentary Election Runoffs: January 9, 2024

Netherlands, Sint Maarten General Elections: January 11, 2024

Taiwan Presidential and Legislative Elections: January 13, 2024

Comoros Presidential Election: January 14, 2024

United States, Iowa Presidential Caucus: January 15, 2024

United States, New Hampshire Presidential Primary: January 23, 2024

Finland Presidential Election: January 28, 2024

Tuvalu Parliamentary Elections: January 28, 2024

Counting votes in Taiwan’s 2020 elections. Photo credit: Wikimedia/tenz1225 (CC BY-SA 2.0)