Why do millions of Americans not vote—and does your vote actually matter?

Despite calling ourselves one of the world’s great democracies, the United States consistently struggles with voter turnout. But the reasons Americans stay home are much more complicated than simple apathy.

In this episode of The Journalism of Everything, I examine some of the most common arguments Americans give for not voting:

• “My vote doesn’t matter.”
• “The system is rigged.”
• “I never like the candidates.”
• “Politics doesn’t affect my life.”
• And for millions of Americans: voting simply isn’t convenient enough.

We look at Pew Research Center and U.S. Census Bureau data on nonvoters, the effect of the Electoral College on how voters perceive their political power, dissatisfaction with the two-party system, distrust of elected officials, and the practical barriers that keep some Americans from the polls.

I also take these arguments seriously. Because when someone says their vote doesn’t matter, dismissing them as lazy or apathetic doesn’t explain why they feel that way.

Some criticisms of the American political system have legitimate evidence behind them. Others become much more complicated when we examine how elections actually work—especially state, congressional and local elections.

And there’s one statistic I keep coming back to: among Americans eligible to participate in the 2020 presidential election, the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential election, only 41% voted in all three. Another 26% voted in none of them.

So the bigger question may not simply be “Why don’t Americans vote?”

It may be:

What happens to a democracy when millions of people stop believing participation is worth it?

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