Average voter turnout was 54% in 2012. Are there any records as to voter turnout at the dawn of democracy?

by Ilodie

Historically was there any way to track voter turnout? Did more people vote or less?

barbarian9

What do you mean dawn of democracy?

If we're talking Athens, there were a number of restrictions from age to sex. It was also more of a direct democracy rather than representative.

Participation was not open to all residents: to vote one had to be an adult, male citizen, and the number of these "varied between 30,000 and 50,000 out of a total population of around 250,000 to 300,000."

The central events of the Athenian democracy were the meetings of the assembly (ἐκκλησία, ekklêsia). Unlike a parliament, the assembly's members were not elected, but attended by right when they chose. Greek democracy created at Athens was direct, rather than representative: any adult male citizen over the age of 20 could take part,[19] and it was a duty to do so. The officials of the democracy were in part elected by the Assembly and in large part chosen by lottery.

Athenian democracy