Why People Don T Vote

There are many factors that determine why citizens vote or not, some simply don’t vote because they think their vote doesn’t count. Typically no one vote decides an election. However when deciding to vote there are many factors people must take into consideration. One reason people don’t vote is because they think their single vote doesn’t make a difference to the outcome. “It is more likely however, that you will be struck by lightning during your lifetime that participate in an election decided by a single vote.” When millions of people vote in the same election on the same day your vote matters, but the election will rarely be decided on your one vote. However, “once in a while, of course, an election is decided by a small number of …show more content…
Not actual money but time, effort, and weighing the options. “You have to spend some of your valuable time becoming informed, making up your mind, and getting to the polls.” Some people cannot not afford to take even an hour off of work to go to the polls and vote, so they just think, “well maybe next time.” In many other countries Election Day is a holiday or on a Saturday. Many people are compelled to vote because they believe it is their civic duty. I learned growing up that it is ones civic duty to vote. But I also learned that I should not participate in a vote if I am not educated on what is being decided. If a person goes in to a poll not knowing what is being voted for and just votes for what his mom said, or her brother told her to put, than what is the point? I personally don’t know a lot about politics, but before I go into the polls I know why I am choosing what I choose. In an article from “Psychology Today”, R. Michael Alvarez stated that about a third of registered nonvoters didn’t vote for the following reasons. “Many reported illness or disability (15%), especially among older registered nonvoters. Others were too busy, or had conflicting schedules