European voter turnout is in deep crisis. Since the early 2000s, the share of voters in national elections has fallen to 66 percent on average, which means that the birthplace of democracy now ranks below average globally.
The situation is even worse in European Parliament elections: in 2014, turnout was 42.6 percent, almost Back our independent journalism by becoming a supporting memberGet EU news that matters
Yves Leterme, a former prime minister of Belgium, is secretary-general of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Sam van der Staak is the head of International IDEA's Europe programme.
Copyright © 2019 Project Syndicate.
Yves Leterme, a former prime minister of Belgium, is secretary-general of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Sam van der Staak is the head of International IDEA's Europe programme.
Copyright © 2019 Project Syndicate.