Abolishing Compulsory Voting: The 2024 Experience in the Flemish Region of Belgium
Abolishing Compulsory Voting: The 2024 Experience in the Flemish Region of Belgium By Marc Hooghe, University of Leuven, and Dieter Stiers, University of Leuven There are few clear-cut examples of countries that…
Abolishing Compulsory Voting: The 2024 Experience in the Flemish Region of Belgium By Marc Hooghe, University of Leuven, and Dieter Stiers, University of Leuven There are few clear-cut examples of countries that have abolished or introduced compulsory voting. When the Netherlands abolished the system in 1971, Irwin (1974) documented how this led to a sharp reduction in voter turnout, especially among young people, women, and those with little political interest.
