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Voter Turnout
Gerard Newman
Statistics Group
Introduction
The introduction of compulsory voting for Commonwealth elections in
1924 resulted in a dramatic increase in the voter turnout rate from 57.9%
at the 1922 election to 91.3% at the 1925 election. The nine Commonwealth
elections held prior to the 1925 election had an average turnout rate
of 63.2% while the 33 separate Commonwealth elections held since 1925
have had an average turnout of 95.0%.
The Government's proposal for a Constitutional Convention to be held
in November or December 1997 with delegates elected by a voluntary postal
ballot,(1) and recent speculation about the abolition of compulsory voting,
has increased interest in the levels of voter turnout where non-compulsory
voting exists.
This Note provides details of the level of voter turnout in other countries
and in local government elections in Australia.
Other Countries
Table 1 provides details of the level of voter turnout for Australia
and a number of western democracies at the most recent national election
held.
Table 1 Voter Turnout, Selected Countries
Most Recent National Election
Country Election Term Date Turnout(a)
Years %
Compulsory Voting
Australia Parliament 3 2/03/96 96.2
Belgium Parliament 4 21/05/95 91.1
Greece (b) Parliament 4 22/09/96 76.3
Non-Compulsory Voting
Austria (c) Parliament 4 17/12/95 84.0
Canada Parliament 4 25/10/93 69.7
Denmark Parliament 4 21/09/94 84.3
Finland Parliament 4 19/03/95 68.0
France President 7 23/05/95 79.5
Germany Parliament 4 16/10/94 78.9
Iceland Parliament 4 8/04/95 87.3
Ireland Parliament 5 25/11/92 68.5
Italy Parliament 5 22/04/96 82.7
Japan (c) Parliament 4 20/10/96 57.7
Netherlands Parliament 4 3/05/94 78.3
New Zealand Parliament 3 12/10/96 88.2
Norway Parliament 4 12-13/9/93 75.8
Spain Parliament 4 3/03/96 78.1
Sweden Parliament 4 18/09/94 86.8
Switzerland Parliament 4 22/10/95 42.3
United Kingdom (c) Parliament 5 9/04/92 76.7
United States of
America (d) President 4 5/11/96 64.8
(a) Total votes as a percentage of electors.
(b) Compulsory for voters under 70 years old.
(c) Valid votes as a percentage of electors.
(d) Turnout figures for the United States are usually expressed
as a percentage of the voting age population. Using this
definition the turnout at the 1996 election was 49.1%.
Sources: Electoral Studies, various issues, Pergamon
Chronicle of Parliamentary Elections and
Developments, various issues Inter-Parliamentary Union, Geneva
Elections Today, various issues, International Foundation for
Electoral Systems, Washington.
As one would expect, the level of voter turnout where voting is compulsory
(Australia and Belgium) is considerably higher than in countries where
voting is voluntary. However, the level of voter turnout in some voluntary
voting countries is remarkably high (Austria, Denmark, Iceland, Italy,
New Zealand and Sweden all had a turnout rate of over 80%).
A number of countries, notably Japan, Switzerland and the United States,
have a rate of voter turnout that is a cause for concern.
Factors affecting the rate of voter turnout include:
- Degree of compulsion and the penalties for non-voting,
- Ease of enrolment procedures,
- Degree of voter alienation from government,
- Complexity of the electoral process,
- Frequency of elections,
- Competitiveness of the electoral contest,
- Tradition of civic duty,
- Access to polling facilities,
- Socio-economic factors,
- Geographic dispersion of population.
The above factors can be seen to be reasons for the wide disparity in
voter turnout rates in the countries listed in Table 1. For instance,
the United States and Switzerland have a large number of electoral contests.
In the USA, Congressional elections are held every two years along with
State elections and a variety of local elections (for elected positions
ranging from the proverbial dog catcher to the District Attorney) and
referendums. Similarly in Switzerland 'voters can expect to go to the
polls as many as ten times in a single year for a variety of national
and local polls, as well as for a series of questions put to referendum'.(2)
In Scandinavian countries the sense of civic duty and the inclusive
nature of the political process could be seen as reasons for the relatively
high rates of voter turnout. In New Zealand the adoption of a new proportional
representational electoral system could be seen as a factor leading to
an increase in the voter turnout rate from 85.2% at the 1993 election
to 88.2% at the 1996 election.
Local Government
In Australia voting is compulsory for all Commonwealth, State and Territory
elections and for local government elections in some States. The degree
of compulsion for local government elections varies markedly among the
States. Queensland has the highest degree of compulsion while in New South
Wales and Victoria voting is compulsory for residents of the local government
area but voluntary for non-residents (rate payers or property owners who
are entitled to vote but do not live in the local government area). In
South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania voting is non-compulsory.
The degree of compulsion is reflected in differing voter turnout rates
among the States. Queensland and New South Wales have the highest rate
of voter turnout, averaging in the 85%-95% range, while South Australia
has the lowest rate, 17% in 1995.
In an attempt to overcome low voter turnout rates in local government
elections, a number of States have moved from attendance elections to
postal ballots in recent years. In Victoria, Councils can opt for either
attendance elections or postal ballots. For Council elections conducted
by the Victorian Electoral Commission in 1996 the turnout rate was 68.5%
for attendance elections and 75.5% for postal ballots.(3)
In South Australia and Western Australia, for the next round of local
government elections to be held in May and June 1997, Councils will be
able to choose between attendance elections or postal ballots.
In Tasmania the move from attendance elections to postal ballots was
made for the 1994 local government elections. Voter turnout rates were
59.5% for the 1994 election and 55.0% for the 1996 election. In a report
on the 1994 elections the Tasmanian Chief Electoral Officer stated that
'the combined effect of the wider franchise and higher response rate has
been to triple the voter participation'.(4)
Table 2 Local Government Elections
Voter Requirement Type
NSW Compulsory for residents Attendance
non-compulsory for non-residents
Vic Compulsory for residents Attendance/Postal
non-compulsory for non-residents
Qld Compulsory Attendance
SA Non-compulsory Attendance/Postal
WA Non-compulsory Attendance/Postal
Tas Non-compulsory Postal
- Mr Howard in an answer to a Question Without Notice, House of Representatives
Hansard, 4 February 1997: 9.
- S. Major, To Vote or Not to Vote; Compulsory Voting in Australia,
Perth, Western Australian Electoral Commission, 1995.
- Victorian Electoral Commission, Annual Report Melbourne, 1996
.
- Tasmanian Electoral Office, Local Government Election Report
Hobart, 1994.
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