We use panel data covering this full election year, with survey waves before and after the general election (CV in the whole country) and the local election (CV in part of the country). This is the first-ever panel study fielded before and after the introduction or removal of compulsory voting!
The article contains several additional tests (e.g., parallel trends assumption, heterogeneous effects, etc.). The conclusion remains: the abolition of compulsory voting in Flanders had no detectable effect on attitudes and engagement.
We examine the Belgian local elections of 2024. In these elections, for the first time in over a century, turnout was voluntary - but only in the Flemish Region. In the other regions, participation remained obligatory. General elections earlier the same year had CV in the whole country.
Previous studies on the effects of CV on political engagement are plagued by limitations in their internal validity (e.g., cross-national comparisons) or external validity (e.g., (lab-)experiments). With our study, we aim to provide among the most internally and externally valid evidence so far.