# What was your voting turnout? (Non-Americans welcome too) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 3, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-voting-turnout-non-americans-welcome-too/272832 "2004-11-03T20:11:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-voting-turnout-non-americans-welcome-too/272832/1 "2004-11-03T20:11:50Z")
Let’s put aside who won and who lost for the moment. I was very excited to learn this morning that my town had an 89% turnout at the polls yesterday. What was your precinct/town/other turnout? Non-American dopers are invited to post results from their most recent elections. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-voting-turnout-non-americans-welcome-too/272832/2 "2004-11-03T22:08:58Z")
We had a federal election on Saturday 9 October. In my electorate the turnout was 94.2% (83,233 votes cast from a total enrolment of 88,392). This was slightly lower than the overall turnout of 94.7% for the whole country (12,354,567 votes cast from a total enrolment of 13,045,120). Of course, in Australia it’s compulsory to attend a polling booth, get one’s name marked off the electoral roll and cast a ballot (although one can’t be forced to actually mark anything on the ballot paper). ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-voting-turnout-non-americans-welcome-too/272832/3 "2004-11-03T22:12:25Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Of course, in Australia it’s compulsory to attend a polling booth, get one’s name marked off the electoral roll and cast a ballot (although one can’t be forced to actually mark anything on the ballot paper). What do they do to you if you don’t vote? Jail time? Fine? Off with their heads!? ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-voting-turnout-non-americans-welcome-too/272832/4 "2004-11-03T22:35:12Z")
My county (can’t find precinct numbers) had a turnout of 74.07%. That’s up from 67.7% in 2000. Ohio’s total turnout was 69.86%, which is actually slightly lower than predicted by the Secretary of State’s office before the election, if I am remembering correctly. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-voting-turnout-non-americans-welcome-too/272832/5 "2004-11-03T23:06:51Z")
In the most recent national elections in 2002 the turnout was a bit lower than average: 79.1% The post-war low was 77.8% in 1990, the record was 91.1% in 1972. Here is a chart of the turnout in all German national elections ever: [http://www.politik.uni-mainz.de/Bereich/bereich1210/lehre/Falter/Falter\_VL\_WS03\_04/FOLDL04\_Wahlbeteiligung\_Deutschland\_WS0203.pdf](http://www.politik.uni-mainz.de/Bereich/bereich1210/lehre/Falter/Falter_VL_WS03_04/FOLDL04_Wahlbeteiligung_Deutschland_WS0203.pdf) (1949-1987 West Germany but not GDR) ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-voting-turnout-non-americans-welcome-too/272832/6 "2004-11-03T23:10:52Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > What do they do to you if you don’t vote? Jail time? Fine? Off with their heads!? IIRC, it’s a $20 fine, $50 if you take it to court. However, if you write a letter to the AEC with a simple excuse (I was sick or at work would probably do), you’ll get off. That is, assuming they even chase you up for non-attendance anyway. ---
**Author:** ![robinc308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@robinc308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinc308)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-voting-turnout-non-americans-welcome-too/272832/7 "2004-11-03T23:24:52Z")
> [@Jervoise](#): > > IIRC, it’s a $20 fine, $50 if you take it to court. However, if you write a letter to the AEC with a simple excuse (I was sick or at work would probably do), you’ll get off. That is, assuming they even chase you up for non-attendance anyway. It’s a $50 fine. If you refuse to pay the fine, however, it’s 3 days jail or something. Being at work isn’t an excuse, you’re supposed to absentee vote beforehand, but being sick would be an excuse. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-voting-turnout-non-americans-welcome-too/272832/8 "2004-11-04T04:04:51Z")
My county had 64%.