The number of people who choose not to vote has increased steadily over the past three general elections and experts believe this year will likely be no different.
It’s no secret that Malta boasts one of the highest voter turnout rates in the world, with roughly nine out of every 10 eligible voters showing up on the big day to have their say on who should run the country.
By way of comparison, around 70 per cent of British voters showed up to decide whether or not the UK should remain in the EU, and in the US, voter turnout fell to a 20-year low of 55 per cent before Donald Trump took over the White House in 2016.
But, while Maltese parties still show impressive magnetism when it comes to drawing people to the voting booths, official figures show the number of people failing to cast their ballots is on the up.
These are the people who want to send a message
According to the Electoral Commission, the number of uncast votes rose from four per cent of eligible voters in 2003 to seven per cent in 2013. While it might not seem like much it represents an increase from 12,000 to 24,000 uncast votes in just under a decade.
Matthew Mangion, who heads the Nationalist Party’s electoral arm, Elcom, said people were simply showing more apathy towards politics these days.
“This is especially true among young voters who are among the most inclined not to vote,” Mr Mangion said. Recent surveys show that as many as one out of every six “young voters”, aged between 18 and 34, will not vote in the next election.
But youths are not the only ones who may abstain. Mr Mangion said those who “weren’t served” by their party of choice and felt they should not reward a party that did not reward them, were also a consideration.
He also pointed to a number of other factors which could prevent people from participating in the upcoming election – among them those who feel “it’s too soon”.
The 2013 vote, he said, saw a large number of PN voters switching to Labour. Many of these, he speculated, may not want to support red candidates next month in the face of serious corruption allegations, but may not feel ready to move back to voting blue so soon after 2013.
“The result could very well be a number of people not voting at all,” he said.
Louis Gatt, who heads the Labour Party’s electoral commission, also said he wouldn’t be surprised if the more people chose not to vote this year.
The electoral veteran pointed to a number of demographic factors which he felt were responsible for the trend, among them an aging population who either for health reasons or disinterest, did not participate in elections.
A major factor he said, was Maltese who lived abroad who had cut ties from the island. These were still listed on the electoral register despite clearly having no interest in Maltese politics.
Who are the real protest voters? According to Mr Gatt, those who really wanted to send a message to parties would “spoil their vote” on the day.
Drawing on years of experience in the counting halls, Mr Gatt said about two thirds of the roughly 4,000 invalidated votes cast – were done so on purpose.
“These are the people who want to send a message,” he said.