This graph shows voter turnout as a percentage of the population aged 18 and over. Since a mid-20th-century high, voter participation in general elections has fallen. Although the drop was not as huge as that in political party membership, the downward trend has been persistent. No election since 1984 has seen more than 80% of voters participating, although the proportion has risen since 2011, when voter participation fell below 70% for the first time since the 1880s.
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Sources: Jack H. Nagel, 'Voter turnout in New Zealand general elections, 1928-1988.' Political Science 40, no.2 (1988): table 1, table 6; Jack Vowles, Susan A. Banducci and Jeffrey A. Karp, 'Forecasting and evaluating the consequences of electoral change in New Zealand.' Acta Politica 41, (2006): 267-284, table 2; Report of the Electoral Commission on the 2011 general election and referendum. Wellington: Electoral Commission, 2012, p. 60.
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Source: Elections New Zealand
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