Almost half of the young people stayed at home in municipal elections, Crevits wants to re -introduce obligation: « must encourage them »

In the municipal elections of last year, votes were no longer mandatory for the first time. As a result, about 1 in 3 Flemish people stayed at home. Now it appears that these were mainly young people, shorter skills and people of strange origins.

The gap is especially large with the young people. But 55 percent of the 18 to 24-year-olds started to vote, compared to 86 percent of the over-65s. In between, the percentage systematically increases as voters get older. The researchers from Ghent University, who made this study, largely blame this to a ‘generation effect’: older generations have long been normal to vote, young people not.

The Flemish Minister for the Interior Hilde Crevits (CD&V) announced these results in the Flemish Parliament on Tuesday. They are part of a wider evaluation of all novelties in local electoral legislation – including the obligation that the voice champion must become mayor. 1,415 voters were asked for this part.

Read too. New electoral rules have an effect: in 9 out of 10 municipalities, voting champion becomes the new mayor

Opinions divided

As a reason not to vote, 4 out of 10 ‘pragmatic reasons’ indicates, such as illness, vacation or work. More than 1 in 4 because he or she is dissatisfied with politics, and says about the same amount that they are not interested or do not know enough about it. Opinions are divided on whether or not the obligation itself: 46 percent think that votes should be mandatory, 34 percent do not think (and 20 percent don’t know).

« I am open to conduct the debate about the reintroduction of the attendance obligation, » Crevits responded immediately in parliament. « If you ask my personal opinion, then I am in favor of introducing it again. » This means that the CD&V viceminister president goes a lot further than what is stated in the coalition agreement. During the government negotiations she was opposed to N-VA, which is radical against such an obligation, and the coalition agreement only states that there will be an evaluation, nothing more. « But that doesn’t mean I can’t give my personal opinion, » said Crevits.

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Conflict

Within CD&V you can hear that the party wants to make this a battle of this in the coming months. Under the previous government, she has introduced the abolition of the attendance obligation, then together with N-VA and Open VLD. But a lot of criticism has been made internally. Many mayors and aldermen fear that some of the voters will definitively drop out. CD&V itself, however, has not experienced a disadvantage of this. In the municipal elections of last year, she even became the largest local party.

Read too. CARD. From red wave to failed mission: For example, Flemish parties brought it off during municipal elections

Whether it really comes to an attendance obligation again is questionable. N-VA remains behind the free choice and also continues to insist on the coalition agreement, in which only an evaluation is provided. Crevits argues for at least conducting campaigns that encourage people to vote. « Now there were mainly campaigns to say that it is no longer mandatory, while we just have to encourage people. This can also be done by offering more options, for example to vote by letter. »