New Zealand has a voter turnout problem. Although enrolment is compulsory for all eligible voters, casting a ballot is optional. And the number of people voting has been falling in both general and local body elections since the 1980s.
Enrolment is high, however, hitting 94.7% at the 2023 general election, the highest rate since 2008. But only 77.5% of those enrolled cast a ballot, considerably below 20th century averages, which hovered around 85%.
