Turnout as Consent

Abstract

The dominant view assumes that people vote to influence election outcomes. As such, most assume that campaign contact, election competitiveness, and the probability of one’s voting influencing the outcome of an election are the primary forces motivating voter participation. However, some people may view elections as a referendum on system performance and may participate in elections regardless of the electoral outcome. Voting is one means for the public to express their consent to be governed. If so, we should expect higher voter participation in systems that generate public approbation. This article uses a national survey experiment, a cross-national panel of thirty-five advanced democracies, and aggregate voter turnout data to demonstrate that people in systems that control corruption, govern effectively, and have fair judicial processes are more likely to vote. This is because systems that treat people fairly in their day-to-day operations make people feel valued by their political system. Particularly when the probability of changing the composition of government with a single vote is small, voting is a tacit endorsement of the existing regime.