2025 voter turnout higher than past decades

Sep 29, 2025 News

…only 2020 saw more ballots cast

By Shania Williams

Kaieteur News – Despite widespread concerns about low voter turnout at the September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections, official figures from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) tells a more nuanced story.

A total of 442,550 ballots were cast this year, approximately 37,511 fewer than in 2020, but still the second-highest turnout in over three decades, with the exception of 2020.

According to GECOM, there were 757,690 registered voters in 2025, meaning that 315,140 did not cast a ballot. While critics point to this as evidence of low turnout, results from the previous elections argue that the figure falls within the historical range for Guyana’s elections since 1992. Political analysts suggest that 2020 was an outlier year, marked by heightened political tensions and mobilisation that drove voter numbers to their highest in modern history. Also a lacklustre campaign by the APNU coalition fuelled by its inability to form a coalition with the AFC to contest the elections could have also kept voters away.

2025 voter turnout higher than past decades

Some of the voters who casts their ballot at the 2025 general and regional elections

In 2020, there were 661,378 registered voters, with 480,061 ballots cast. Comparatively, 2025 saw an increase of nearly 100,000 registered voters but only 37,511 fewer ballots cast. This suggests that while more people were eligible to vote, overall participation remained consistent with historical patterns.

Reviewing past elections one can observe how voter turnout has shifted over the years. In 1992, a total of 308,852 ballots were cast from 384,195 registered voters. Five years later, in 1997, turnout increased to 408,057 out of 461,481 registered voters. In 2001, 403,734 ballots were cast from a pool of 440,185 registered voters, while in 2006 the number dropped to 341,426 out of 492,369 registered voters. The 2011 elections recorded 346,717 ballots cast from 475,496 eligible voters. By 2015, turnout rose again, with 416,055 of 570,708 registered voters participating. The highest voter turnout in Guyana’s recent history occurred in 2020, when 480,061 ballots were cast from 661,378 registered voters. In comparison, the 2025 elections recorded 442,550 votes from a much larger list of 757,690 registered voters.

While the number of registered voters steadily increased, actual turnout has largely remained within the same range.

Observers note that framing the 2025 turnout as “low” overlooks the broader historical context: in reality, Guyanese citizens cast more votes this year than in nearly every election since 1992.

In fact, 2025 ranks second in total ballots cast, behind 2020, followed by 2015, 1997, 2001, 2011, 2006, and then 1992. However, despite September 1 being declared a national holiday, reports from across the country described polling stations as sparsely attended, with voters arriving in small numbers.

For this year’s elections, more than 250,000 registered electors in key stronghold districts of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) did not turn out to vote on polling day. In District Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), of the 116,876 registered voters, only 71,561 cast ballots. The PPP secured 48,055 votes, WIN earned 12,969, APNU received 8,992, while smaller parties like FGM, AFC, and ALP shared the remainder. There were 311 spoiled ballots, 17 destroyed, and 563 rejected. In comparison, 72,942 ballots were cast in 2020.

In District Four (Demerara–Mahaica), historically dominated by APNU, the PPP won for the first time. Out of 323,436 registered electors, only 182,209 voted. The PPP received 87,536 votes, APNU 46,956, and WIN 41,607, with the remaining divided among smaller parties. The district also recorded 743 spoiled ballots, 76 destroyed, and 1,417 rejected.

In District Six (East Berbice–Corentyne), 61,624 of 111,554 electors voted. The PPP maintained dominance with 41,320 votes, followed by WIN with 12,623, APNU with 6,223, and others trailing. A total of 466 ballots were spoiled, 26 destroyed, and 650 rejected. In District Ten (Upper Demerara–Upper Berbice), APNU lost its traditional hold to WIN. Of 38,460 registered voters, only 21,195 participated. WIN led with 10,458 votes, followed by APNU with 5,334 and PPP with 4,260. The remaining votes went to smaller parties. The district also recorded 186 rejected ballots, 8 destroyed, and 91 spoiled.

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GECOM, Guyana Elections 2025, low voter turnout, Voter turnout

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