Evidence from Norway suggests that a rise in turnout not only benefits centre-left parties, but can also benefit the radical right

High turnout in European elections has often been assumed to favour parties on the left of the political spectrum, based on the assumption that they derive their support primarily from working class voters. Henning Finseraas and Kåre Vernby argue that this principle may no longer be valid due to the existence of new parties on the left and right of party systems, such as radical right parties which appeal to those in lower socio-economic groups. Using data from Norway, they illustrate that the right-wing Progress Party appears to benefit from high turnout as much as Norway’s centre-left Labour Party, while the country’s Socialist Left Party loses support when turnout rises.