How actively does Chennai vote? A look at the trends

For over two decades, Chennai, the State capital, has trailed the rest of Tamil Nadu in voter turnout. In the 2021 Assembly election, about 61.48% of the city’s electorate turned out, while the State average was close to 74%. A similar gap was visible in 2016, when Chennai recorded 61.37%, even as Tamil Nadu crossed 74%.

In 2011, a year of higher participation across the State, the city recorded 67.47%, still some distance from the State average. However, that momentum did not carry forward. In the elections that followed, the turnout dropped, and has since remained largely unchanged, staying in the range of 61%-62%. Even as more people are added to the rolls, roughly the same number of voters turns up to vote.