In Italy, voter abstention has been constantly increasing since 1979, and the most recent Italian Parliamentary Elections in 2013 saw the highest percentage of non-voters in Italian history (24.8%). Around 20% of all who abstain are prevented from voting in elections by circumstances beyond their control (e.g. due to sickness). Because of increasing abstention by choice, very little attention has been given to forced abstention in the literature. However, an ageing population suggests that forced abstention may be on the rise as well. The aim of our paper is to understand how the rapid ageing of the Italian population can contribute to explaining overall abstention. We will assess the hypothesis that abstention tends to be higher in areas where the population is older using ecological data collected at the municipal level for six Parliamentary elections (1992-2013). The demographic structure in terms of age and gender constitutes our main explanatory variables.
