In the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, only 60% of adults voted. Most voters appear to be perplexed as to why so many adults do not go to the polls. However, as young people used to say in the 1990s, “if you don’t know, you better ask somebody.” It really is that simple. Yet, for many voters, the question is rhetorical.

First, it is not because non-voters are stupid or lazy. That is the easy and wrong answer. In reality, there are many reasons why a lot of people do not vote. The main reason, though, is that many see no substantive changes in the areas they care the most about.

For example, my ex-girlfriend voted for Obama. However, she flatly stated, “I was poor before Obama became President, and I will be poor after he leaves office.” Sadly, she was (predictably) correct.

Poor people want good-paying jobs, decent public schools, safe neighborhoods, good housing, an end to police brutality, and so on. Yet, despite the promises of the politicians for whom they vote, these poor people only get more of the same. Who could seriously blame them for getting tired and frustrated, and losing confidence in their elected officials? No one likes the feeling of being used and discarded.

Democrats seem to believe they are automatically entitled to the votes of the poor, African Americans and other groups. However, Black leaders like Malcolm X have long pointed out how Democratic politicians have often betrayed Black people and taken them for granted. Malcolm used to say of politicians, “you can’t find them until election time.” (Indeed, near election time, one can easily find politicians campaigning at numerous events in the Black community.) Moreover, in his famous speech, “Ballots or Bullets,” Malcolm told a predominantly Black audience about Democrats, “You put them first and they put you last. Because you’re a chump – a political chump.”

When Hillary Clinton ran against Obama in the 2008 election, she became desperate. She implied that African Americans are not real Americans, and said that real Americans, “white” people, would vote for her. Though she predictably still received the vast majority of the Black vote in the 2016 election, it certainly should not be shocking to learn of any Black person that will never trust or respect her again, despite her Democratic street cred.

During the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, some progressives spoke of “lesser evilism,” or the idea that voters are obligated to choose the least inferior candidate. Democrats have long maintained that sometimes they have to hold their noses when they vote. They must always choose the candidate representing their party. However, non-voters maintain that the lesser evil is an evil still. They understandably wonder why they have nothing but terrible candidates for whom to vote.

Some people do vote, but they vote for independent candidates. Progressives who do so drive Democrats crazy. Democrats insultingly tell them that they are wasting their votes. These are the same Democrats that say “people died for your right to vote.” They seem to mean that people died for your right to vote for Democrats. In reality, though, people have the right to vote for the candidates of their choice – even for write-in candidates.

Quietism is another reason that some people do not vote. They believe that Jesus is returning “soon” and it does not matter. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe this, even though they have been anxiously awaiting the Second Coming of Jesus for over 100 years.

One of the main reasons that many people do not vote in the U.S. Presidential elections is because of the archaic Electoral College. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the general election but was still unable to make it to the White House. Is this supposed to foster confidence in the political system and make millions of people want to vote for the President?

Some scholars claim that White men formed the Electoral College to maintain and strengthen White supremacy. On March 18, 2020, speaking on National Public Radio (NPR), Jesse Wegman, author of Let the People Pick the President, agreed with many that the Electoral College should be abolished. Furthermore, he said that it has a disproportionately negative impact upon non-White citizens.

For these and many other reasons, perhaps a better question might be: why do so many people vote? On the other hand, voters should ask, are we in any way to blame for low voter turnout? If so, what can we do to correct the problem?