The 2024 European Parliament elections occurred against a backdrop of growing support for populist parties. In the scientific debate, the focus has predominantly been on the negative implications of populism for democratic quality. Another important perspective in terms of democratic theory—its role in promoting voter mobilization—is given less attention. This study indicates that average voter turnout is slightly higher in EU countries where populist parties are in opposition compared to those where such parties are in government. Nevertheless, the possibility of counter-mobilization cannot be dismissed. The findings show that there is no “disenchantment” of populist parties in government. Furthermore, the analysis reveals no consistent patterns when considering the ideological orientation in conjunction with the systemic position of these parties. The study also highlights influences on the mobilization for the EU election 2024 in connection with the Second-Order-Election (SOE) model, the EU-issue-voting approach and macroeconomic explanatory factors. At the same time, the study shows that there are still major gaps in the scientific literature about voter turnout and non-voting that need to be closed.