Voter turnout in the UK 1918-2019

In the UK's general election of 2019, voter turnout was 67.3 percent, a 1.5 percent drop compared with the previous general election in 2017. Between 1922 and 1997 voter turnout never fell below 70 percent, but in 2001 it dropped to just 59.4 percent. Since that low point, voter turnout has gradually recovered and reached 72.2 percent in the Brexit Referendum of 2016, which is still some way off the peak of 83.9 percent recorded in the 1950 General Election. The trend of low voter turnouts in recent times is also reflected in the European elections, which had its lowest voter turnout in 2014 at 42.61 percent.

Labour leading the polls going into 2024

As of January 2024, around 46 percent of people in Great Britain said they would vote for the Labour Party, compared with 22 percent who would vote Conservative. Although the Conservatives led the polls for much of 2020 and 2021, their popularity has sank considerably since then. Boris Johnson's involvement in a number of political scandals, particularly "partygate" saw his job ratings plummet, and eventually cost him his job in 2022. The fact this Johnson was followed by the disastrous, but short-lived reign of Liz Truss further soured the image of the Conservatives for British voters. Although Rishi Sunak has managed to achieve a degree of political stability, the Conservatives are certainly in danger of losing their first election since 2010 when the UK heads to the ballot box next.

A winter election in 2019

The next UK general election will have to occur by January 2025 at the latest, but will probably take place in Autumn or Spring like the majority of elections displayed here. Despite this, the UK's most recent election in 2019 took place in December, the first winter election since 1974. Typically, elections in the UK take place in warmer months, due to a fear that bad weather will lead to lower turnouts. The irregular timing of the last election was due to the political chaos caused by Brexit however, and the failure of the UK to leave the European Union in 2019. The Conservatives won 365 seats in this election achieving a large enough majority to get their Brexit deal approved in the House of Commons after three and a half years of political chaos.

Voter turnout in general elections and in the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom from 1918 to 2019

Characteristic	Voter turnout
2019	67.3%
2017	68.8%
Brexit Referendum 2016	72.2%
2015	66.2%
2010	65.1%
2005	61.4%
2001	59.4%
1997	71.4%
1992	77.7%
1987	75.3%
1983	72.7%
1979	76%
Oct 1974	72.8%
Feb 1974	78.8%
1970	72%
1966	75.8%
1964	77.1%
1959	78.7%
1955	76.8%
1951	82.6%
1950	83.9%
1945	72.8%
1935	71.1%
1931	76.4%
1929	76.3%
1924	77%
1923	71.1%
1922	73%
1918	57.2%