What is a lack of interest in voting called?

In political science, voter apathy is a lack of interest among voters in the elections of representative democracies. Voter apathy or lack of interest is often cited as a cause of low turnout among eligible voters in jurisdictions where voting is optional, and the donkey vote where voting is compulsory.

What is voter runoff?

Runoff voting can refer to: Two-round system, a voting system used to elect a single winner, whereby only two candidates from the first round continue to the second round, where one candidate will win. Instant-runoff voting, an electoral system whereby voters rank the candidates in order of preference.

What is monotonicity voting?

A ranked voting system is monotonic if it is neither possible to prevent the election of a candidate by ranking them higher on some of the ballots, nor possible to elect an otherwise unelected candidate by ranking them lower on some of the ballots (while nothing else is altered on any ballot).

How do you determine the number of ballots cast?

While it was previously difficult to determine the number of ballots cast and instead had to rely on the most ballots cast in a “highest off” (i.e. the office with the most votes for a candidate), more and more states are reporting total ballots counted alongside the results of the election.

How many votes really matter?

Economists Casey B. Mulligan and Charles G. Hunter concluded in a 2001 study that only one of every 100,000 votes cast in federal elections, and one of every 15,000 votes cast in state legislative elections “mattered in the sense that they were cast for a candidate that officially tied or won by one vote.”

Why are voter turnout numbers different in each state?

Often, states and news sources will provide turnout numbers that use registration as the denominator. This results in inconsistent measurements across states due to inconsistent practices, policies, and/or laws around the maintenance of their voter registration lists.

What is the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)?

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 created new ways to register to vote. It also called for states to keep more accurate voter registration lists. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 authorized federal funds for elections. It also created the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).