The 5 Million "Required Voters": Who They Are and What Influence They Can Have on Chilean Presidential Elections

The 5 Million "Required Voters": Who They Are and What Influence They Can Have on Chilean Presidential Elections According to data provided by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Chilean Electoral Service (Servel), in 2009, at least 30% of the population over 18 years of age was not registered to vote. In order to achieve broader representation and attract new young voters, voluntary voting and automatic voter registration were established in 2012 through a constitutional reform. While this expanded the voter registry to approximately 13.5 million, voter turnout did not increase significantly. In fact, the 2013 presidential election set a record low, with only 6.6 million voting in the first round and 5.5 million in the runoff. This figure increased in subsequent presidential elections, but overall turnout remained around 7 million.