Election History Bites | A 100-year history of registered voters

The first election in 1921 had 27,404 registered voters at a time when only men aged 21 and over with property could vote. Roll forward 101 years and in the 2022 general election, 355,075 voters aged 16 and over were eligible to vote.

As expected, statistics of registered voters reflect Malta’s demographic and social development along the years. When women were allowed to vote in 1947 and property privileges abolished, the number of registered voters more than doubled over the previous election two years earlier. Indeed, in 1947, 140,703 Maltese citizens were registered to vote, a sharp increase over the 61,203 voters who were eligible in 1945.

A notable increase in registered voters was recorded in 1962 when 166,936 were eligible to cast their vote when in the previous election held in 1955, eligible voters stood at 149,380. However, just four years later, in 1966, the number of registered voters decreased to 161,490, a reflection of Malta’s declining population as a result of the government policy at the time to encourage emigration because of poor economic conditions.

Nonetheless, the trend was reversed by the 1971 general election, which saw the number of registered voters increase by more than 20,000 to 181,768 people. This could also have been the result of the post-war baby boomers reaching voting age, which was 21 at the time.

The 1976 election marked another milestone since the voting age was reduced to 18. This saw the number of eligible voters increase by almost 36,000 to 217,724 people.

In 2022, the voting age was reduced to 16 from 18, which contributed to the increase in eligible voters by more than 13,000 to 355,075 people.

The number of eligible voters for the 2026 general election stands at 356,832, a net increase of a mere 1,757 voters and yet another confirmation of a declining fertility rate.

Election History Bites powered by Agenda Bookshop is a series of election-inspired stories that will be published from Monday to Friday every morning throughout the election campaign