Czech election turnout: where almost all vote and where almost none do

The highest turnout in the 2022 local elections was in the municipality of Kyje in the Jičín district: 98.3% of eligible voters cast a ballot. Radimovice near Tábor (98.2%) and Kukle in the Svitavy district (97.3%) also cleared the 97% mark. However, these municipalities have fewer than 200 residents: in Kyje, for example, only 58 voters were on the rolls, of whom 57 received envelopes, and in Radimovice the figures were 55 and 54. According to the Czech Statistical Office, turnout of 90% or more was also recorded in another 22 small municipalities, including Dekanovo (95.3%), Křížek (95.2%) and Probulov (95.0%).

Where voters stay at home

At the other end of the ranking was the municipality of Sklené in the Svitavy district, where turnout was only 17.7%: of 198 voters, 35 cast a ballot. Next come Hrádek nad Nisou in the Liberec Region (18.3%) and Kozolupy in the Plzeň-North district (19.3%). Among the municipalities where turnout did not exceed 25% are some large ones: Hrádek nad Nisou had 6,120 voters on the rolls, and Psáry near Prague had 2,993 (turnout 24.2%).

The difference by municipality size is also noticeable. In municipalities with up to 200 residents, average turnout was 64.9%, while in those with 5,000–10,000 residents it was 44.8%. The lowest turnout, 38.8%, was in larger towns with populations of 20,000 to 100,000. In the five largest cities (100,000 residents and up) it was 41.9%. By region, turnout was highest in Vysočina and lowest in the Ústí nad Labem Region.

In local elections, voters decide who will sit on the council of their municipality or city district. The difference in turnout may depend on how tight the race is, how many lists compete for votes and whether people expect a change of leadership at city hall. Overall, 46% of voters turned out for the local elections in 2022.

Senate elections: a collapse in the second round

In the 2024 Senate elections, 30.5% of voters took part in the first round and only 17.5% in the second. Turnout in the first round was highest in the Benešov district (35.3%) and lowest in Chomutov (23.3%). Opava district had the same figure, 23.3%, but in the second round. The lowest second-round turnout was in the Prostějov district: 12.1%.

The sharpest drop between rounds was in the České Budějovice district: from 35.1% in the first round to 15.6% in the second. There, Zbyněk Sikora (ODS) became senator, winning 11,898 votes against 5,539 for Ladislav Ondřich (ANO). A similar gap between rounds was seen in Břeclav and Prostějov. Turnout fell least in Šumperk, from 27.4% to 19.2%: independent candidate Stanislav Balík won (9,812 votes), ahead of Miroslav Adámek (ANO) with 8,274 votes. Similar figures were recorded in Prague 8 and in Opava.

Elections to the Chamber of Deputies and presidential elections generally draw markedly more people than local and Senate elections. The numbers alone do not explain why people head to the polls in one place and stay at home in another: turnout is affected by municipality size, the choice of candidates, how fierce the race is and the local political situation.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz