Why are so many voters sitting out this week?

Civics 101

NHPR

History, Government, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 3 November 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Off-year elections -- as in, not a presidential or a midterm -- have fairly dismal voter turnout. Yet they matter a great deal. Most of our lives are lived at the local, not the national, level. So why do so many skip their state and local elections? We spoke with Luis Lozada, the CEO of Democracy Works, to understand why people don't show and why they should. Democracy Works is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to helping America vote. Click here to access their free tool, TurboVote, to help you check your registration, find your polling place, get personalized reminders for every election, and more. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more! To see Civics 101 in book form, check out A User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro. Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Did you vote already or is it like you're still waiting to do it?
0:03.0	Yeah, I voted on Monday.
0:05.0	Per usual, it made me emotional and nostalgic, though I'm not sure what for.
0:10.5	Did you vote already?
0:11.6	No, I'm more of like a day of guy.
0:13.8	Yeah, I am going to be out of town.
0:16.0	So it was an absentee ballot, baby.
0:18.6	Is this your first one, your first absentee?
0:20.7	It was, and i'm happy to report
0:23.2	it was a breeze now i did have to go to town hall but i like really love going to town hall i would go
0:29.0	to eddie town or city hall i love them so hannah this is an episode about why people don't vote
0:34.7	and i feel like you're already very much alienating all the non-voter, non-town hall lovers out there.
0:40.7	Yeah, sorry.
0:41.4	This is Civics 101.
0:42.9	I'm Hannah McCarthy.
0:43.8	I'm Niccabedice.
0:46.7	Now, if you are listening to this on November 3rd when it comes out, tomorrow is election day.
0:52.3	Not the presidential election, not the midterm.
0:55.8	This is what some people call an off year. And most people take it off.
1:00.6	If you subtract states that have a gubernatorial election in any odd-numbered year,
1:07.2	you're probably looking at sub-20, sub-15 percent turnout.
1:11.5	This is Louis Lozada.
	...

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