Improving voting turnout by under-represented groups

The problem of understanding and encouraging electoral participation has attracted significant attention from researchers and policy makers. Yet, there is a widespread assumption that in Australia the matter was effectively solved by the introduction of compulsory enrolment in 1911 and compulsory voting in 1924 (for example Johnston and Forrest 2009: 525), to the degree that the Australian electoral system is often presented as a ‘best-practice’ example in reform contexts (Hill 2004). Indeed, the consistently high levels of turnout at federal elections over the past three quarters of a century appear to support this conclusion. Voter turnout at federal general elections has averaged 94.9 percent since 1925, and has never dropped below the 91.3 percent recorded in that initial compulsory election. This strong trend has continued through to the present day, with turnout for the House of Representatives reaching a high of 95.8 percent in 1996 and averaging 94.4 percent over the subsequent five elections.