Election turnout by age and descent
The youngest group of voters held their own against their parents’ generation when it comes to turnout at the 2023 General Election.
The Electoral Commission has released a breakdown of turnout by age and Māori and non-Māori descent for the election which is available on vote.nz.
The turnout of enrolled voters in the 18 to 24-year-old age group was 74.2%, higher than turnout for voters aged 25 to 44, and similar with turnout for voters aged 45 to 49 (76.5%) and 50 to 54 (78.9%). Turnout was highest for voters over the age of 55.
Official voter turnout was 78.2%, down from 82.2% in 2020. Turnout for voters of Māori descent across the general and Māori rolls was 70.3%, down from 72.9% in 2020. Turnout of voters on the Māori roll was 68% compared with 69.1% in 2020.
The turnout for young Māori bucked the trend and increased at the election. 70.3% of 18 to 24-year-old voters of Māori descent who were enrolled voted, up from 69.7% in 2020, 61.8% in 2017 and 54.9% in 2014.
Note, the turnout breakdown produces a slightly lower total than the official turnout due to the set of figures used.
