Lost Voters: Participation in EU elections and the case for compulsory voting
CEPS Working Document No. 317/July 2009
Anthoula Malkopoulou

Abstract
The malaise among Europe’s voting citizens with regard to the European Parliament elections casts a shadow over the EU’s commitment to political participation and democratic values. Not only do EU elections hold little political relevance next to national electoral cycles, but voters are also lost in the EU’s labyrinth of accountability. Yet, what appears as an insurmountable obstacle to the legitimacy of Europe’s decision-making mechanisms can be translated into an opportunity for voting system reforms. One way to address the problem of widespread abstention might be to legislate on the obligation to vote. This paper explores compulsory voting systems in a number of developed democracies worldwide and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of introducing such a measure in the EU.

CEPS Working Documents are intended to give an indication of work being conducted within CEPS research programmes and to stimulate reactions from other experts in the field. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed are attributable only to the author in a personal capacity and not to any institution with which she is associated. ISBN 978-92-9079-891-0 Available for free downloading from the CEPS website (http://www.ceps.eu) © Centre for European Policy Studies, 2009

Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1
Why does turnout matter? ............................................................................................................. 1
Voter turnout in EU elections........................................................................................................ 2
Efforts to increase participation