Title: Why Many Americans Fail to Vote in Elections
Headings: Why Don't More Americans Vote?
Why Don't More Americans Vote?
Two-Thirds Say Special Interests Control Elections
It Just Takes Too Long
Just Too Busy
Special Interests
Even Non-Voters Say Voting is Important
Family and Friends Encourage Others to Vote
Who Are the Non-Voters?
Voter Turnout in 2018 Soared
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Content: Why Many Americans Fail to Vote in Elections
Humanities › Issues
Why Don't More Americans Vote? Two-Thirds Say Special Interests Control Elections
Early Voters In Miami Facing Long Lines. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
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By
Robert Longley
History and Government Expert
B.S., Texas A&M University
Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. our editorial process
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Robert Longley
Updated March 03, 2019
Why don't more people vote? Let's ask them. The California Voter Foundation (CVF) conducted a statewide survey in 2004 on the attitudes of infrequent voters and citizens eligible to vote but who were not registered. This survey sheds light on the incentives and barriers to voting, along with the sources of information that influence people when they do vote. Since the 1980s, voter turnout —the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election—has been decreasing steadily in the United States, as well as most other democratic countries worldwide. Political scientists generally attribute falling voter turnout to a combination of disillusionment with elections, indifference or busyness, and a feeling that an individual’s vote will not make a difference. 1 ﻿
At the time of this study, there were an estimated 5.5 million Californians eligible to vote but not registered to vote out of a total of 22 million eligible residents.