Early Turnout Reports and Key Local Variances from Poland’s Parliamentary Elections
Turnout in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, including the Sejm and Senate races, stood at 22.59 percent according to the National Electoral Commission. Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. on election day and remained open until 9:00 p.m. to receive votes for 460 deputies and 100 senators, alongside the national referendum. These figures reflect preliminary national participation as transmission of results continues. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]
Four years prior, during the last legislative elections for the Sejm, turnout had been higher at 12.14 percent in that specific electoral cycle, highlighting variations in voter engagement across sessions. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]
The NEC chair, Sylwester Marciniak, announced at a press briefing that the district with the highest turnout among all twelve districts was district No. 14 in Nowy Sącz, where participation reached 25.68 percent. Conversely, the lowest turnout occurred in district No. 21 in Opole, at 19.75 percent. The next NEC press conference is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. local time. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]
Election day included a nationwide voting silence starting from the opening hour and lasting until polls closed at 9:00 p.m. This period is intended to limit campaign activities and influence on voters. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]
Highest Attendance by Voivodeship
Starting October 12, district-level and voivodeship-level turnout was monitored, with Podlaskie Voivodeship recording the highest rate at 25.23 percent. In contrast, Opole Voivodeship registered the lowest engagement at 19.75 percent. The NEC chair noted these figures during remarks at a press conference. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]
Voting began at 7:00 a.m. nationwide for the parliamentary elections, which will elect 460 deputies and 100 senators. The public was reminded that an election silence would be in effect until the polls closed at 9:00 p.m. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]
During the briefing, Marciniak highlighted that initial turnout data from October 12 stood at 22.59 percent nationwide, with Podlaskie leading at 25.23 percent and Lesser Poland Voivodeship following at 24.28 percent. Opole Voivodeship remained the lowest at 19.75 percent, with Lubuskie at 20.82 percent and Świętokrzyskie at 20.85 percent, rounding out the bottom third of participation levels. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]
For context, turnout in the last House of Representatives elections four years earlier reached 12.14 percent, underscoring fluctuations across different electoral cycles. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]
Additional coverage notes that exit polls will provide estimated results shortly after 9:00 p.m., with ongoing nationwide polling and analysis. In related coverage, observers can check who has already visited polling stations and various statements from election officials regarding the peaceful conduct of the process. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]
The National Electoral Commission reported that the elections were conducted peacefully and that multiple district election commissions documented the events as voting proceeded. [Cited: National Electoral Commission]