Robert Dallek Quotes

Large swathes of people losing faith in democracy is a dangerous thing. Conflict, desperation, totalitarianism are the products of that loss of faith.

A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.

Popular elections are uncertain.

A lot of times, elections are lost, and the hope of the public is lost because they don't turn out.

In more stable political times, a low turnout in the E.U. elections was a luxury we could afford.

We have, essentially, a worthless democracy.

A lot of politicians say they want to get people out to vote; sometimes you can't totally believe they really want that.

All the blood is drained out of democracy - it dies - when only half the population votes.

I have never voted in my life.

A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.

... elections are no longer representative.

I hope no one in any part of this country will sit out any election. It’s about as unpatriotic think that anyone can do.

People don't really like anyone. It is the crisis of our young democracy

Hopeless people do not vote. They don’t think that they can change anything anymore.

Elections are always about turnout.

The democracy gap in our politics and elections spells a deep sense of powerlessness by people who drop out, do not vote, or listlessly vote for the least worst every four years and then wonder why after every cycle the least worst gets worse.

Don’t vote. it only encourages the bastards.

It's so deeply disturbing to me that half of the eligible voters don't vote in this country. We talk about how divided the country is. The truth is, we don't even know. We just know what the half that voted thought.

For too many years, those eligible to vote in primary or general elections did not bother to do so. Those sensible centrists who do not go to rallies but care deeply about our country effectively silenced their own voices. That sent the message to incumbents that they were either doing the right thing or that we just did not care.

From the standpoint of democratic legitimacy, it's a problem if half the electorate, or close to it, declines to vote, not least because they may not feel much of a stake in the whole process.

Remember, I'm the guy who didn't want the referendum - I wouldn't have had it if I'd been prime minister. But you have to respect how people voted because this was partly about political alienation, so if the response to political alienation is to ignore it, that's a recipe for more political alienation.

Not voting is not a protest. It is a surrender.

Something's wrong with all countries and all voting systems.

Turnout is good for the system.

People are sick of the false choice between the established political parties who take voters for granted.