Belgium Does NOT Have Compulsory Voting—But Turnout Is 89%

Correction: Belgium abolished compulsory voting in 2003 (for federal elections) and 2016 (for local/EU elections). It is not legally required to vote.

Why Turnout Remains ~89% (Highest in World)

• Cultural Habit: Compulsory voting existed 1893–2003 (men) / 1948–2003 (women). Generations internalized voting as civic duty.
• Proportional Representation (List PR): Every vote counts toward seat allocation. No "safe seats"; small parties viable. Voters feel efficacy.
• Convenience: Sunday voting, automatic registration (national register), polling stations in every neighborhood, proxy voting easy, e-voting piloted.
• Social Pressure: "Stemplicht" (voting duty) remains a strong norm. Non-voters face no penalty but social expectation persists.
• Complex Politics: Fragmented party system (Flemish/Walloon split, linguistic pillars) → high stake perception.

Contrast

Countries with current compulsory voting (enforced): Australia, Belgium (only for EU elections? No, abolished), Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Singapore, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Greece (not enforced), etc. Belgium is a rare case of high voluntary turnout post-abolition.