Expansion of the Chilean electorate, 1873-1949a.
| . | Registered Voters . | Votes Cast . | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thousands . | % Total Population . | Thousands . | % Total Population . | |
| 1873 | — | 26 | 1.3 | |
| 1876 | — | — | 80 | 3.9 |
| 1879 | — | — | 104 | 4.7 |
| 1882 | — | — | 97 | 4.2 |
| 1885 | — | — | 79 | 3.2 |
| 1888 | — | — | 90 | 3.5 |
| 1912 | 598 | 17.6 | 295 | 8.7 |
| 1915 | 185 | 5.3 | 150 | 4.3 |
| 1918 | 342 | 9.4 | 183 | 5.0 |
| 1921 | 383 | 10.2 | 197 | 5.3 |
| 1925 | 302 | 7.7 | 256 | 6.6 |
| 1945 | 641 | 12.0 | 450 | 8.4 |
| 1949 | 592 | 10.4 | 470 | 8.3 |
| . | Registered Voters . | Votes Cast . | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thousands . | % Total Population . | Thousands . | % Total Population . | |
| 1873 | — | 26 | 1.3 | |
| 1876 | — | — | 80 | 3.9 |
| 1879 | — | — | 104 | 4.7 |
| 1882 | — | — | 97 | 4.2 |
| 1885 | — | — | 79 | 3.2 |
| 1888 | — | — | 90 | 3.5 |
| 1912 | 598 | 17.6 | 295 | 8.7 |
| 1915 | 185 | 5.3 | 150 | 4.3 |
| 1918 | 342 | 9.4 | 183 | 5.0 |
| 1921 | 383 | 10.2 | 197 | 5.3 |
| 1925 | 302 | 7.7 | 256 | 6.6 |
| 1945 | 641 | 12.0 | 450 | 8.4 |
| 1949 | 592 | 10.4 | 470 | 8.3 |
Source: Chile, Censo electoral, 1912, p. XVI; Censo electoral, 1915, p. 24; Oficina Central de Estadística, Sinópsis estadística, 1919, p. 19; ibid., 1926/27; idem, Anuario estadístico, 1921, III, 41; ibid., 1925, I, 78 (for population figures); Federico G. Gil, The Political System of Chile (Boston; 1966), p. 213 (figures for 1940s).
Figures refer to legislative elections. It should be noted that after 1912 a new system of permanent registration, renewable every nine years, was introduced to cut down on fraudulent registration.