Polarization That Boosted Turnout: The 2023 Parliamentary Election in Poland

• In Event: The Causes and Consequences of Polarized Politics

Abstract

This paper focuses on the record-high turnout in Poland's 2023 parliamentary elections, which exceeded 70% for the first time in the history of post-communist Poland. The study is based on research questions on turnout growth, electoral stability and voter mobilization. The hypotheses analyzed suggest a link between this growth and the processes of political polarization, the increasing competitiveness of elections and the growing party identification of electorates. The results of the empirical research largely confirm the hypotheses. The increase in voter turnout in 2023 can be attributed to two main factors. First, it was observed that a vast number of voters "retained" in the electoral process, which was a unique phenomenon on the Polish political scene. Second, there was a noticeable broad mobilization of people who had not previously engaged in the electoral process, with a particular focus on women and young people. Both of these phenomena showed a connection with increasing political polarization. The increasing contestability of elections, caused by growing competition between political parties, encouraged voters to participate in elections to express their political preferences.

Author

• Mikolaj Czesnik, SWPS University