Voter turnout during the general elections in Iceland on 25 September 2021 decreased in all age groups except the two oldest. The largest decrease was among 18–19 years old while there was also a considerable decrease in the age group 30-34. This is among the first statistics regarding the outcome of the general elections. A detailed publication will be published later this year.
Lowest voter turnout among 20-24 years old
A total of 203,898 Icelanders voted in the general elections in 2021 or 80.1% of eligable voters. Voter turnout was 81.5% for women and 78.7 % for men. Turnout varied by age and was lower among younger than older voters, according to preliminary figures. The lowest turnout was within the age group 20–24 (67.6%) but highest among voters aged 65–69 (90.4%).
Turnout decreased slightly from the 2017 general elections when it was 81.2%, 82.1% among women and 80.3% among men. Voter turnout decreased in all age groups between 2017 and 2021 except in the two oldest age groups. The largest decrease was in the youngest age group 18–19 years (-4.7%) and there was also a considerable decrease among 30-34 years old (-2.5%), while an increase was found only in the age groups 75–79 years (0.2%) and 80 years and older (0.6%).
Highest proportion of female candidates in the Reykjavík south constituency
Eleven political parties participated in the general elections in 2021. Of the total number of 1,282 candidates 52.8% were men and 47.2% women. The proportion of women was highest among candidates in the Reykjavík south constituency (48.6%) and lowest in the South constituency (45%). The average age of candidates across the country was 49.8 years, while the age of men was somewhat higher than that of women or 51.6 years compared with 47.7 years. The average age of candidates was lowest in the Northwest constituency at 48.5 years and highest in the South constituency at 50.7 years.
307 voted in their car
A total of 1,213 voters were assisted in voting, 229 at a voting station and 984 at pre-election voting. A total of 712 voters received the assistance of Electoral Commission officials in voting, and 153 the assistance of a representative of their own choice. Of this group, 38 voted with the help of a representative of their choice and with a certificate of a rights protection officer. In order to make it easier to vote for those who were in solitary confinement or quarantine due to Covid-19, the option of voting in a car at a voting station was made available. Individuals in solitary confinement or quarantine also had the option of voting at their place of residence. A total of 348 took advantage of this service, 307 voted in a car and 41 chose to vote at their place of residence. Overall, there were far more voters who were assisted in voting now than in the 2017 general elections, or 1,213 compared with 468 in 2017.