If compulsory attendance were abolished, Vlaams Belang would lose the most votes. This was evident from a new study on Friday by the Institute for Social and Political Opinion Research (KU Leuven). Only 36.3 percent of Vlaams Belang voters would still vote in every election.
In 2019, the researchers asked the study participants whether they would still vote for parliament if it were no longer mandatory. Half of Flemish people (50.2 percent) indicated that they would still participate in the elections, while 21.6 percent would definitely drop out.
Among the different groups of voters, Green voters stand out for their dedication: 74 percent said they would always continue to vote. Open Vld voters (58.7 percent) and, at that time, SP.A voters (59.4 percent) also scored slightly higher than average.
An opposite conclusion can be found among the electorate of Vlaams Belang. Only 36.3 percent would vote every election, while 34.8 percent said they would drop out completely and never go to the polls again.
Participation of voters in the elections will determine the electoral fate of various parties in the future
Vlaams Belang managed to convince a strikingly large number of young voters in the 2019 parliamentary elections, the study showed. 23.6 percent of young people voted for the extreme right-wing party, compared to 16.1 percent in general. The big loser among young voters was the CD&V, which could only convince 7.9 percent of young people.
In 2019, 15 percent of all voters either did not show up to vote, or voted invalid or blank. If compulsory attendance were to be abolished, 61.3 percent of this group indicated that they would never vote again. “Voter participation in elections will determine the electoral fate of various parties in the future,” the researchers say. Compulsory attendance has been abolished for the first time in Flanders in the upcoming municipal elections.
Non-voters
It is more likely to be young voters (between 18 and 34 years old) and older people who cast blank or invalid votes or do not vote at all. This mainly concerns people with low education, unskilled workers or people without jobs. In other areas, such as philosophy of life or gender, the group is a cross-section of the population.
“In terms of values, the group is close to Vlaams Belang voters, with a few exceptions,” the researchers say. “The non-voters are politically cynical and populist, they have little trust in their fellow human beings and are in favor of harsh repression. But, unlike Vlaams Belang voters, this group is not outspokenly against the arrival of immigrants and they do not identify themselves solely as Flemish.”
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