Voter Turnout Comparisons
Voter turnout in the main legislature of various democracies, in the latest election as of early 1995. "PR" refers to a form of proportional representation. Note that the countries that use forms of proportional representation tend to have much higher rates of participation than those that use majority or plurality systems (highlighted in orange) in single-member districts.
| Country | Voter Turnout | System |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 93% | PR |
| Turkey | 92% | PR |
| Italy | 89% | Mixed** |
| Luxembourg | 87% | PR |
| Austria | 86% | PR |
| Iceland | 86% | PR |
| Sweden | 86% | PR |
| Denmark | 83% | PR |
| Norway | 83% | PR |
| Netherlands | 80% | PR |
| Germany | 78% | PR* |
| Greece | 77% | PR |
| United Kingdom | 76% | plurality# |
| Finland | 72% | PR |
| Spain | 70% | PR |
| Ireland | 69% | PR*** |
| Portugal | 68% | PR |
| France | 65% | majority$ |
| Switzerland | 47% | PR |
| United States (1994) | 38% | plurality# |
* 50% by single-seat, plurality election
** 75% by single-seat, plurality election
*** Preference Voting
# Single-seat districts, elected by plurality
$ Single-seat districts, with majority provision
source: The Almanac of European Politics (Congresional Quarterly, 1995)
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