Turnout down across East Devon in county-wide poll

The percentage of voters has fallen

Voter turnout at the ballot box is down in the biggest district of Devon’s county-wide elections.

Figures for the nine divisions that make up the East Devon district show the percentage of voters has dropped in all but one.

The biggest drop was witnessed in the Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton division, with a turnout of just 23.7 per cent, a steep fall compared to the 38.1 per cent turnout in the same division in the 2021 county council election.

Sidmouth witnessed a small rise in the number of voters going to polling stations to vote for their party in the Devon County Council elections, up to nearly 45 per cent from 42.8 per cent in the previous election.

But voter turnout, which includes postal votes, in the other eight divisions dropped.

East Devon is technically the biggest district represented on the county council because it will return 11 councillors. There are eight districts in total that make up the 58 divisions, and will collectively return 60 councillors.

That’s because two of the divisions – Exmouth and Broadclyst – have two seats each.

The drop in voter turnout in the East Devon district happened in spite of postal votes in the area rising by almost a fifth.

Prior to the election,  total of 22,435 people had been sent a postal vote in East Devon, a huge jump from the 18,865 who made such a request in the previous Devon County Council elections in 2021.

Turnout figures for the nine East Devon divisions in the Devon County Council election:

Axminster – 35.71% (38.7% in 2021)

Broadclyst – 26.72% (32% in 2021)

Exmouth 32.39% (32.9% in 2021)

Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton – 23.73% (38.1% in 2021)

Feniton and Honiton – 33.55% (34.1% in 2021)

Otter Valley – 40.27% (43.5% in 2021)

Seaton and Colyton – 40.38% (42.5% in 2021)

Sidmouth – 44.91% (42.8% in 2021)

Whimple and Blackdown 38.43% (39.9% in 2021)