Analyzing elections is a very complicated business. Patterns that affect the decisions of millions of people usually only become apparent years after an election, and it is the job of politicians, scholars and the public alike to take lessons from the changing tides of political discourse before these patterns take root. However, there is one immediate factor that impacts American politics more than any other long-term concern, to which the United States as a whole must pay attention: The political engagement of voters, the common citizens of this country, is being shaped by a lack of belief in potential change.
If left unaddressed, the order of traditional parties may very soon give way to radicalized political factions that undermine the constitutional order of this nation.
The first thing we need to address about this trend of apathy is its most visible symptom: low turnout. U.S. elections are notorious for having turnout levels far lower than other democracies around the world, with one of the most highlighted points about the 2024 elections being the surprising mismatch between expected and actual turnout levels at the ballot box.
There is no reason to believe that this is a fluke. A significant portion of citizens who are eligible to vote simply are not bothered to participate in the political system, which is a fundamental concern for the very principle of democracy. A declining belief in political representation is the root cause of this effect. Especially among young voters, the general causes for apathy in the last decade are defined by a lack of trust in politicians, knowledge about the political system and hope about anything being done to improve public welfare. Simply put, the stagnant nature of the longstanding two-party system stifles the process through which people can voice opinions.
This situation creates two distinct problems. On a demographic level, the trend of choosing not to vote affects the politically moderate, who simply lose hope in voicing their views from election to election. As these people abstain from the political discourse, the space they leave behind becomes increasingly filled with the fanatical and emotionally driven extremes of the political spectrum. The end result in such a scenario becomes a national culture driven primarily by the numerically small but loud and uncompromising minorities that can sway national politics to ideological extremes. This is the practical aspect of the apathy problem: When more people leave the discussion on politics, the scene becomes dominated more by fanatical factions that are more likely to manipulate or even altogether eliminate the democratic process.
What is to be done then? If half the country is not bothering to vote and the other half is plugging their ears with fingers at every disagreement, what can be done to protect civil discourse? When discussing these questions, the debate very often turns into asking what can be done to “fix the system” by which the people are represented. The United States obviously suffers from its institutions ignoring anything outside the mainstream — for which the archaic nature of electoral politics is to be blamed — but the path to solution involves more than legislative reform.
Civil rights and welfare are the two key issues the American public is concerned with regardless of age, gender, state or background. Politicians must take the initiative to be more transparent and provide genuine solutions to these immediate problems. Politicians elected by popular vote must embrace their responsibility as representatives of the people; addressing local issues, approaching communities and presenting understandable, trustworthy solutions is how the unconvinced can enter the political discussion. This trend can only be corrected by sincerely opening up the political scene to more parties than the existing two, and allowing different perspectives to collaborate to reach genuine and sustainable policies. There is simply no hope for a sincere and open democracy under a two-party rule that is also at risk of being hijacked by its most radical elements. The apathy of the ambivalent voters is rooted in a lack of representation, which can only be solved by providing precisely that to the electorate.
It is equally important for the general public itself to organize and form groups to voice their concerns as a collective rather than as individuals. The term “civil society” is going to be vital to uphold since breaking the taboo about talking politics is the greatest hurdle. It is becoming more and more inconvenient out of fear of misunderstanding or quickly antagonizing people to be open about personal beliefs, which hinders public dialogue. Bringing the opposite ends of the spectrum together and making the public function as a united spirit is key to making people’s voices matter for policy making.
The current situation in the United States is a great trial of endurance both for the spirit of its people and the order of its government institutions. The future of politics at every step and level depends on having people believe that they matter in the process — losing their trust to apathy opens the door to discontent, anger and retribution, all of which must be recognized at long last as the symptoms of a currently declining democracy.
Deniz Gulay is a sophomore double-majoring in history and Russian.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the staff editorial.