Despite the high stakes of the November 8 election, roughly 100 million eligible voters didn’t show up to the polls.
The months leading up to the recent election were largely volatile, and the results it ultimately brought stunned many.
Despite the high stakes of the November 8 election, close to 100 million eligible voters didn’t show up to the polls, reports the Washington Post.
In the U.S., there are roughly 231.5 million people who are eligible to vote.
Yet, only about 134.5 million people participated in the selection of the nation’s next president.
While that may sound shocking and infuriate many, it’s actually the norm. The United States has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the developed world.
Often cited reasons include apathy, inconvenience, time constraints due to work and family obligations, and a disbelief that individual votes make a difference.
Among the many low participation remedies suggested are making voting easier and revising voter registration laws.
Suggestions regarding the latter include extending deadlines and making the registration process easier – perhaps even automatic.
Notably, among those who did vote this year, the count as of November 15 shows Hillary Clinton was backed by 61,964,263 people, while Donald Trump received the support of 60,961,967 individuals.