What will turnout be?
Despite one less week of voting, turnout is well up on the 2013 asset sales referendum, both in gross terms, and as a percentage of the population. Votes received today yet to be counted.
So turnout so far is 47.4% and might hit 48%. How does that compare with other stand alone referenda. In order the turnout rates have been:
- 1995 Firefighters 27.0%
- 2013 Asset Sales 45.1%
- 2015 Flag 47.4% (with one day to go)
- 1992 Electoral System 55.2%
- 2009 Smacking 56.1%
- 1997 Compulsory Superannuation 80.3%
So the flag referendum is ahead of both the union initated referenda.
Now there is a difference between binding and indicative, but this is only semi-binding in that it is choosing an option, not a final decision. The best comparison is to the 1992 vote to choose an electoral system.
That vote got 55% turnout and the flag referendum looks to be around 48%. Now considering how massively more important the electoral system is than the flag, that’s not a massive gap.