Why Do Voters Vote for ‘the Other Side’? Instrumental and Expressive Motives for Cross‐Ethnolinguistic Voting in Brussels

While electoral support in deeply divided societies is expected to follow segmental lines, parties often attract substantial backing from outside their core constituencies. This article examines why voters in Belgium's Brussels‐Capital Region—a consociational system designed to enable the peaceful cohabitation of the French and Dutch language communities within its territory—support parties across ethnolinguistic lines. Based on a thematic analysis of 25 interviews with voters in the 2024 regional elections for the Brussels Parliament, we find that cross‐ethnolinguistic voting is driven by both instrumental and expressive motives. Instrumentally, voters seek to maximise electoral impact, influence coalitions and policies, and secure specific benefits. Expressively, they vote across linguistic lines to align ideologically, support particular candidates, or affirm a broader sense of belonging. These findings challenge conflict management theories by showing how voter agency can subvert institutionalised ethnolinguistic divisions and call into question the long‐term viability and societal appropriateness of a consociational system premised on fixed and enduring group boundaries.