The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) based in Stockholm, has a database of the Voting Age Population (VAP), as well as the number of Registered Voters (REG) as indicators of political participation.
The VAP figure includes an estimated number of all those citizens over the legal voting age, while the registration rate comprises the actual number of people on the voters’ roll.
The VAP Turnout for Ireland on 29 November 2024 was 54.86% and 85.17% in 1977.
Country data are found here.
Ireland's VAP Turnout rate was only 56.65% in the general election of 2020; 58.04% in 2016 and 63.78% in 2011.
In Age of Conflict only 7.8% of World Population in Full Democracies
The Irish general election in February 2011 was crucial as it came months following the economic rescue following the busting of the property bubble.
In November 2010, the Irish government sought help from the IMF and the European Union, which together provided loans totalling €67.5bn — equal to 40% of Ireland's then economy. The rescue involved the International Monetary Fund (IMF); European Central Bank (ECB), and also the British government, which gave a loan to Ireland.
In February 2011 36% of the 18 age-plus population did not vote.
The Irish VAP was 77.76% in 1973 when Ireland joined the European Economic Community (EEC). It was 73.41% in 1948.
The 2020 Irish poll was the first general election held on a Saturday since 1918 but the participation rate still fell.
Under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023, in November 174 TDs (Repersatives) were elected with 14 seats and additional seats in the new Dáil.
There is an Irish Electoral Commission but it's toothless.
Interview with the chief officer.
In 2021 Germany had a VAP Turnout of 69.48%. In that year 50% of the votes were actually postal. votes.
Denmark's VAP Turnout hasn't been below 75% in every parliamentary election since 1945.
Australia 2022 VAP Turneat 75.99%: Cumpolary.
The UK in 2024 had a rate of 52.79%.
France 2024 VAP Turnout 53.47%.
Spain 2223 VAP Turnout 63.38%.
Italy 2022 VAP Turnout 56.01%.
Canada 2021 VAP Turnout 55.45.
Brazil 2022 VAP Turnout 73.42%
United States: An uncommon rise in turnout
The US Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan member organization, think tank, and publisher:
In December 2024 it published 'The 2024 Election by the Numbers:'
"In relative terms, voter turnout nationally in 2024 was 63.9%. That is below the 66.6% voter turnout recorded in 2020, which was the highest voter turnout rate in a US presidential election since 1900.
Nonetheless, turnout in 2024 was still high by modern standards.
The 1960 election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon (63.8%) is the only other election in the last 112 years to exceed 63% voter turnout.
If you are wondering, the election of 1876 holds the record for the highest percentage voter turnout: 82.6%. That was one of America’s most controversial and consequential elections — and not in a good way. It was also an election in which more than half the adult-age population was ineligible to vote."
The Nordics and both Belgium and The Netherlands
We have referred to Denmark above with a VAP Turnout hasn't been below 75% in every parliamentary election since 1945.
In 2022 the rate was 75.65%. It has been below 80% on only 5 occasions since 1945 when 28 general elections were held.
Denmark and Sweden have very similar voting patterns.
In 2023 nationally for parliamentary elections, in the Nordics, the highest voter turnouts were in the Faroe Islands (88%), Sweden (84.2%), and Denmark (84.16%). Lower participation rates were found in Iceland (80.1%), Norway (77.2%), Finland (68.5%), and Greenland (65.9%).
Norway with 20 parliamentary elections since 1945 had a level of 69.33% in 2021, which was the first time to be below 70%.
Finland has had 22 parliamentary elections since 1945: The VAP level was 68.87% in 2023. The lowest level was 65.21% in 1999.
Iceland has a population of about 370,000 and in the 3 last parliamentary elections were at 75.79%; 78.39% and 75.68%.
Belgium since 1949 has had consistently high rates in the 80s, and in 2019 the rate fell to 77.94%. In November 2023, the Netherlands had a VAP Turnout of 72.65%.
Since 1946 when the rate was 85.47% and 92.07% in 1967, the rate never fell below 70.00%.
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