“Over 6.2 million Australians didn’t vote and over 778,000 didn’t support anyone. Out of over 18 million eligible voters this means that 38% voted with their feet.” By James Reed and Brian Simpson

The above quote is circulating on social media and seems to indicate that in the federal election last week, out of over 18 million eligible voters, extreme voter disillusion led to a massive chunk of the electorate either abstaining or casting informal votes as a form of protest or disengagement. This is true in some respects, false in others.

In the 2022 federal election, turnout was 89.8% (15.44 million out of 17.2 million enrolled), meaning ~1.76 million did not vote. The 2023 Voice referendum had a turnout of 89.95% (15.89 million out of 17.67 million), with ~1.77 million non-voters. Note the symbol "~" means "approximately."

Assuming a similar turnout rate (~90%) for 2025, with 18.1 million registered voters, approximately 16.29 million would have voted, leaving ~1.81 million non-voters. This is far lower than the 6.2 million claimed in the quote.

Informal votes (blank or invalid ballots) are often interpreted as a sign of disillusionment/protest, as voters may deliberately mark ballots incorrectly to protest. The quote's "778,000 didn't support anyone" aligns closely with the 2023 referendum's 778,388 informal votes (4.9% of total votes), not 2025.

As of the time of writing, the AEC noted that informal vote statistics were preliminary. Informal rates tend to rise with more candidates, and 2025 saw large ballot papers due to multiple parties and independents.

In 2022, ~800,000 votes were informal (~5.2% of total votes). If 2025 followed a similar trend with ~16.29 million votes cast, informal votes might number ~850,000 (5.2%), slightly higher than the 778,000 in the quote.

Former deputy PM Michael McCormack commented on May 6, 2025, that informal ballots were rising, criticising those who did not cast legitimate votes. This suggests a notable informal vote count, though exact numbers await AEC confirmation. Therefore the 778,000 figure is plausible for 2025, given the 2022 precedent and reports of rising informality. However, it's not yet confirmed and may be even slightly higher.

The quote's tone suggests extreme disillusionment, with "voting with their feet" implying deliberate abstention or protest. Evidence from 2025 shows significant voter frustration, particularly around cost-of-living, housing, immigration and distrust in major parties. So, while the internet quote gets some figures wrong, it is on target about there being significant voter disillusionment, and this is not surprising. There are ample grounds here for nationalists to forge ahead as in the US and Europe, as discussed at the blog today.

https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/claims-of-low-voter-turnout-in-federal-election-jump-the-gun/