A blur of waving flags greeted President Barack Obama's victory speech at an election night event in Chicago, Illinois.
Editor's note: David Frum, a CNN contributor, is a contributing editor at Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He is the author of seven books, including a new novel, "Patriots," and was a special assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002.
Washington (CNN) -- When the polls close in most other democracies, the results are known almost instantly. Ballots are usually counted accurately and rapidly, and nobody disputes the result. Complaints of voter fraud are rare; complaints of voter suppression are rarer still.
The kind of battle we are seeing in Florida -- where Democrats and Republicans will go to court over whether early voting should span 14 days or eight -- simply does not happen in Germany, Canada, Britain or France. The ballot uncertainty that convulsed the nation after Florida's vote in 2000 could not happen in Mexico or Brazil.
Almost everywhere else, elections are run by impartial voting agencies. In France, elections are the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior, which establishes places and hours of voting, prints ballots (France still uses paper) and counts the votes. In Germany, an independent federal returning officer oversees a complex state and federal voting system.
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In Canada, federal elections are managed by a specialized agency, Elections Canada. Mexico, emerging from a sad history of electoral manipulation, created in the 1990s a respected independent agency, the Federal Electoral Institute. Brazil has nationwide electronic voting, producing instantaneous, uncontested results.
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No voting system is perfect. Britain has faced allegations of chronic fraud in absentee balloting. As I write, Lithuanian politics are convulsed by allegations of vote buying by one of its political parties.
But here's what doesn't happen in other democracies:
Politicians of one party do not set voting schedules to favor their side and harm the other. Politicians do not move around voting places to gain advantages for themselves or to disadvantage their opponents. In fact, in almost no other country do politicians have any say in the administration of elections at all.
Here's a story from the 2000 election.
Like many old cities, St. Louis has not invested in modern voting equipment. Voting delays are notorious. At the scheduled poll-closing time, voters were still lined up throughout the city. Al Gore's campaign, desperate to win the state, asked a judge to extend voting for three more hours in the heavily Democratic city -- but only in the city. A state judge agreed. Republicans appealed, the state judge was overruled, and the polls were closed after remaining open a total of 45 additional minutes beyond the legal closing time.
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Republicans won Missouri's 11 electoral votes by a margin of 78,786 out of the almost 2.4 million cast.
Think about what's incredible here:
Lines were lengthy in St. Louis City because in the United States, almost uniquely, local governments choose how voting is cast and counted. People who live in localities with less capable governments, such as St. Louis, will face greater delay and difficulty in casting their vote.
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When local Democratic officials saw themselves disadvantaged by the existing rules, they appealed to a judge for special treatment for its (likely) voters -- and only for those voters. (Good news: In Missouri, circuit judges are appointed by the governor and then confirmed in office by nonpartisan vote. In many states, however, judges are themselves elected in partisan elections.)
The other party demanded that the existing rules be upheld, and the case was litigated on the fly, ending in a weird compromise that only failed to become a national scandal because the events in Florida were so much more dramatic.
In any other democracy, voters nationwide would have cast their votes on the same kind of balloting equipment, subject to the same rules.
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The parties would have had a minimal role in supervising the election, and certainly would not have been allowed to ask for rule changes as the vote occurred.
The voting would have been overseen by a national election commission, not by local judges, who might be nonpartisan -- but who very well might not.
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Americans worry more about voter fraud than do voters in other countries, because they are the only country without a reliable system of national identification.
In no other country, including federal systems such as Germany, Canada and Australia, does the citizen's opportunity to vote depend on the affluence and competence of his or her local government.
In every other democracy, the vote is the means by which the people choose between the competing political parties -- not one more weapon by which the parties compete.
The United States is an exceptional nation, but it is not always exceptional for good. The American voting system too is an exception: It is the most error-prone, the most susceptible to fraud, the most vulnerable to unfairness and one of the least technologically sophisticated on earth. After the 2000 fiasco, Americans resolved to do better. Isn't it past time to make good on that resolution?
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.
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President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden look ahead to a second term and vowed to fight for equal opportunity for all.
Flags fluttered in Chicago as President Barack Obama delivered his victory speech after being reelected for a second term.
First lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden hugged and will spend four more years in the public eye.
Red, white and blue confetti snowed down on President Barack Obama after a victory speech that promised brighter days ahead.
A supporter listened intently to President Barack Obama's victory speech in Chicago.
"We know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come," President Obama said in a victory speech met by prolonged cheers.
President Barack Obama embraced Vice President Joe Biden after delivering his victory speech at McCormick Place in Chicago.
With first lady Michell Obama at his side, President Barack Obama gave the crowd a wave at an election night celebration in Chicago.
Children climbed trees outside the White House in Washington as people celebrated President Obama's victory at the polls.
A South Korean woman carried a cardboard cutout of Republican Mitt Romney at an election night party in Seoul. South Koreans watched the race closely.
President Barack Obama rode a wave of broad support from minorities, women and moderates to win re-election.
Emotion washed over an Obama supporter as the newly reeleted president deivered his victory speech in Chicago.
President Barack Obama embraced first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia moments before he delivered a rousing victory speech.
Obama supporters beamed and cheered as he delivered an inspiring and inclusive victory speech.
Victorious, President Barack Obama was joined onstage by first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia.
Young Obama supporters watched the president stride onto the stage to deliver his victory speech.
President Barack Obama clapped onstage in Chicago as the crowd cheered his reelection.
President Barack Obama walked onstage with first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia to deliver his victory speech.
People gathered in Times Square in New York City and celebrated four more years in office for President Barack Obama.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney conceded and hugged his running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, of Wisconsin.
People celebrated in front of the White House in Washington after Barack Obama won a second term as president.
Mitt Romney slowly walked offstage in Boston after conceding the election to President Barack Obama.
Republican candidate Mitt Romney hung his head and smiled as he strode onto the stage to give his concession speech.
Mitt Romney waved to a crowd of supporters before conceding the presidency.
Romney supporters sought comfort in each other as his chances for the presidency faded.
An Obama supporter clutched a flag and a smart phone at an election night rally in Chicago.
Obama supporters attentively watched televised election results at an election night event in Chicago.
A supporter checks his smart phone while he waits for Republican Mitt Romney to give his concession speech in Boston, Massachusetts.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama embraced Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden moments after the election was called in their favor.
Keesha Patterson, left, proposed to Rowan Ha during a rally at Obama headquarters in Chicago. The women live in Maryland, where voters approved same-sex marriage.
Ajay Narayan cheered in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the election was called for President Obama.
Obama supporters celebrated the president's projected victory at a watch party at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.
A huge screen gave Obama supporters in Chicago plenty to cheer about: The president won a second term.
President Barack Obama's supporters were exuberant as the news got better and better on election night.
A dejected supporter of Republican candidate Mitt Romney slumped on the floor in Boston, Massachusetts.
President Obama's young supporters in Chicago cheered and waved flags.
The Empire State Building in New York City was lit in Democratic blue after President Obama won the hotly contested election.
A Romney supporter teared up as the presidency seemed to slip out of grasp.
Obama supporters in Chicago, his hometown, shared their joy at the president's projected victory.
Obama supporters raised their hands in victory at an election night watch party in Chicago.
Romney supporters in Boston were tearful and subdued as the numbers told a story they didn't want to hear.
A Romney supporter's bowed head and slumped shoulders revealed that it wasn't going to be the Republicans' night.
Big boards in Tampa reported results at an event sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida. 
Party-goers wearing 'Stars and Stripes' clothing awaited results at an election night party at the U.S. Embassy in London.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was photographed aboard his campaign plane Tuesday in Boston, Massachusetts.
Voter Sheresa Walker used a flashlight for poll worker Lloyd Edwards in a tent set up as a polling place in Queens, New York. The area is still reeling from Superstorm Sandy.
Shadows were cast on a wall next to a television advertising "Election Night 2012" inside the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, where Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was scheduled to speak Tuesday evening.
A volunteer prepared ballots at a polling station in San Francisco, California.
Justin Stucki, Leah Quirk, and Kenady Pettingill, left to right, urged drivers to vote for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Spanish Springs, Nevada.
A sign directed voters to the gymnasium at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke with journalists during the last flight of his presidential campaign.
Raena Lamont, 3, wore a Captain America costume at a polling center Tuesday in Staten Island, New York.
A voter cast his ballot Tuesday in Mansfield, Texas.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took a break from last-minute campaigning to greet workers in Richmond Heights, Ohio.
A voter's bicycle leaned against a wall at a lifeguard station, home to a polling place in Hermosa Beach, California.
Voters walked past a plethora of campaign signs after casting their ballots at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jesse James, whose home was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, prepared to vote in a makeshift tent set up as a polling place in Rockaway Park, a neighborhood in Queens, New York.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney waved to supporters at Pittsburgh International Airport in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.
Workers prepared for President Barack Obama's election night rally at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.
A street scene was reflected in the window of a gift shop near the White House in Washington, DC.
Mike Wegart, 30, stood in line to vote at the Venice Beach lifeguard station in Los Angeles.
Obama supporter Tonya Lewis rallied for votes outside a polling station in Tampa, Florida.
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan left a campaign plane in Cleveland, Ohio.
President Obama greeted supporters outside a campaign office in Chicago.
A jogger on The Strand in the Los Angeles area community of Hermosa Beach passed a directional sign to a polling place at sunrise.
The stage was set for Obama's election night event in Chicago.
James Tate, 45, held a sign in support of the Republican ticket in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
A nun waited in line to cast her vote in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Children's books about politics lined a wall where citizens waited to cast their vote in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Volunteer David Bowser peeked outside the Pinellas County Democratic Party headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Election inspector Jim Nodorft prepared to hang the U.S. flag outside the Smelser Town Hall as polls opened at 7 a.m. in Georgetown, Wisconsin.
People headed to a polling station at Washington's Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on Tuesday.
The sunrise was visible through a bus window on Election Day in Chicago.
Voters entered Washington Mill Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, to cast their ballots Tuesday.
Rain did no deter voters from waiting in line in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Sunshine State -- with its 29 electoral votes -- was a key player in determining the next president.
A young girl peered out from under a voting booth as her mother cast a ballot at the Bishop Leo O'Neil Youth Center in Manchester, New Hampshire.
William Carpenter, an assistant fire chief, put up an election rules sign at the entrance of a firehouse polling station Tuesday in Port Royal, Virginia.
Poll worker David Smith used a tape measure to mark a boundary at a Bowling Green, Ohio, school to keep local politicians 100 feet away from where voters cast ballots.
Precinct official Bill Partlow inspected a voting machine before polls open Tuesday in Pineville, North Carolina.
Voters in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, waited shortly after midnight to cast the first Election Day ballots of the U.S. presidential race. For the first time in the village's history, there was a tie.
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