Elections 2024: More than a third of electorate choose not to vote
More than a third of Flemish voters chose not to vote in Belgium's local elections on Sunday. In some areas, turnout was even lower. For instance, in Eeklo, just over half of eligible residents voted.
The abolition of compulsory voting in Flanders has led to a much larger number of people not voting than initially expected. In many cities and municipalities across the region, turnout hovered between 60 and 70 per cent, with some notable exceptions.
In larger cities such as Ostend, Bruges, Hasselt and Aalst, turnout dropped to around 60 per cent, while cities like Mechelen, Genk and Sint-Niklaas saw slightly higher participation at around 62 per cent. Leuven, with 67.4 per cent, was an exception among the larger cities.
The impact of the shift to voluntary voting was particularly evident in the areas surrounding Brussels and in Limburg, near the Dutch border, where turnout in most municipalities fell below 60 per cent. These low turnout numbers came as a surprise to experts who had anticipated more engagement. Before the election, political analysts had predicted an average turnout between 70 and 80 per cent.
"I had expected higher participation"
"It's surprising because these are local elections," said UGent political scientist Herwig Reynaert. "People are voting for their own city and municipality, where they know many of the candidates. I had expected higher participation."
He says this dramatic decline in turnout is unusual when compulsory voting is first abolished. "Typically, when you move from compulsory voting to voluntary voting, participation drops gradually over the years. It doesn't usually take such a sharp dive immediately."
Across Belgium's 581 municipalities, more than 8.3 million citizens were eligible to vote. Additionally, 162,780 non-Belgian residents, both EU and non-EU citizens living in Belgium for at least five years, were also eligible to participate. Voters were not only selecting their municipal councils but, in Wallonia and Flanders, also participating in provincial elections.
The local elections on 13 October 2024 © PHOTO BELPRESS
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