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I feel that lower numbers of voter turn-outs are a result of three main reasons. Firstly, a general trust in government has decreased over time for many citizens in Western democracies especially the United States. After the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal, the general public of the United States don't possess the same comfort and show much more doubt for what the government says. This mistrust causes many people to second guess any presidential candidate they think would lead their country properly. Another reason is the growing polarization of these democracies. With news outlets spreading misinformation that only their viewers want to here instead of the real, unbiased news, politicians are forced to cater to a more radical group of voters in order to get votes from their base. This causes voters in the middle of the political spectrum to feel that both candidates are a terrible choice and not vote. Lastly, with the overall diversity in thoughts as well as race and ethnicity, a president can't fulfill the needs of all. This causes people to feel that their group isn't being heard and in turn, not vote.

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Personally, I believe that citizens are distrustful of politicians and the decision-making process, as they believe that the policies they use are aimed at a select few, which leads them to abstain. Furthermore, there is a lack of information about policies, issues and candidates which mitigates the problem and creates alienation of citizens and a feeling of diminished participation. Abstention is also exacerbated by frustration due to corruption, weak representation or conflicting policies. Ignorance of the importance of individual participation can lead to apathy, with many people considering their vote ineffective. Finally, changing social structures and technological developments contribute to the issue of abstention, encouraging new forms of political participation, such as social networking and participation in non-governmental organisations.

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In political science, the term "efficacy" is used to describe an individual's belief/faith that he/she can influence government policies and decisions. Basically, efficacy is a citizen's belief that his/her vote actually matters. I do not believe that the issue is citizens in Western democracies are disinterested in politics. Rather, they truly believe that whether or not they vote will not make a difference in the political affairs of the government, so why even bother? The result is an election that is decided by barely over half of the eligible voting population, as seen in Greece's recent elections.

All of this is not to say that an individual's voting power always has substantial effects on the outcomes of elections or the actions taken by governments. In fact, it truly depends on the size of the elections. One's vote matters more the smaller the election is. Though, when it comes to close votes in swing states in the US, it does come to a case of "every vote matters."

I digress, though my concluding remarks lie in a solution- the greater the knowledge and involvement of a citizen in politics, the greater their personal efficacy. Education and community engagement is the path forward, no matter in the U.S. or Greece.

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From many experiences with political classes including world political courses in secondary education and at University I could answer the question "Why citizens in Western democracies are not interested in politics and do not turn out to vote? Firstly I think that many Europeans and Americans do not choose to vote because they think they're vote doesn't mean anything, especially with millions of other people voting as well. Another reason for the decreased turnout of voters in these countries is that voters, especially younger, don't view either candidate as fitting. By seeing both or multiple candidates as all being poor leaders for their country then voters may decide to not support either, therefore not participating in the election.

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Most Americans don't vote because they have lost belief in the running-up presidents who make promises but don't fulfill them. The people believe they won't protect them as they say they will. Based off the article titled The 2023 Greek Elections Were an Exercise in Disillusionment stated that "The Obvious explanation is that they simply don't care about the outcome of elections." The majority of people think that their vote won't matter or it won't make a difference if they voted or didn't vote at all. Not many people really look into the running-up candidates to know who to vote for. So without the knowledge, people just won't care enough to go out and vote. People also believe this is a consistent cycle of just voting for someone and when they get elected nothing major will change.

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The 2023 Greek Elections Were an Exercise in Disillusionment

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The legislative election held in Greece on 25 June produced a victory for New Democracy, led by incumbent Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Yet as Athanasia Chalari explains, the real story may h…

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Growing up, I always heard the phrase "My vote won't matter anyway." Many Greek and American citizens don't seem to care about voting because they think their vote doesn't count, they're not interested in politics, or don't trust that candidates are going to lead right. According to the article titled The 2023 Greek Elections Were an Exercise in Disillusionment, it states that “Participants (particularly young participants) commonly expressed their disappointment and lack of trust towards the state and any form of authority…” Therefore, young people view candidates negatively and don’t vote because they don’t believe that candidate will protect their people. Yet, candidates rely on their votes since young people are more driven to fix issues occurring today. Today with how corrupt society is, voters feel that there is no point in voting and don’t care to know more simply because they don’t want them to represent their country.

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Personally I think that young American citizens don't vote very much because they feel that their votes won't count for anything. Because the age of people in the government is far older than Gen Z, much of the opinions you hear are those of people with more traditional viewpoints. These voices tend to overpower much of the voices from younger generations. When the vast majority of voters are much older it can feel like your opinions are overshadowed. When you have that mindset, it becomes easy to get discouraged and decide not to vote. Also, I believe that our mindset is very individual, and one individual can't make a very big impact when it comes to voting. If we kept a mindset that focused on votes of ALL young people and not just your own vote, it would be more motivating because it feels like you are making a bigger impact.

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The history of politics and voting has evolved significantly over time. Presently, there is a decline in civic engagement, which can be attributed to several factors such as the lack of political knowledge among younger citizens, the perceived absence of qualified candidates, or a general disinterest in participating in the electoral process. Often, social media and the information we consume have a profound influence on our decision-making during elections. For example, the impact of viral videos like President Biden's bike mishap, or his comments about another country, and even instances like his attempt to shake a non-existent hand on stage are notable. However, the rise of Deepfakes and AI makes it challenging to distinguish between what is genuine and fabricated.

The people don't want to be lied to anymore. Many individuals are wary of being promised a 'better living' when the reality is more about survival than prosperity.

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When it comes to voting there's a huge controversy. Several citizens don’t care about who gets voted in the election, and believe everyone elected is similar to the other. While others think that voting is the most dominant decision one can make. The text, The 2023 Greek Elections Were an Exercise in Disillusionment, mentions that the Greeks don’t vote because they simply don’t care too (The 2023 Greek Elections Were an Exercise in Disillusionment, 2023). Many in the United States choose not to vote because regardless of who gets elected, no change will be made and it’s just a constant repeat. People believe that the votes don’t count and that the elections aren’t based on how many votes one received. Personally, voting isn’t my family’s priority. That’s because as Muslims who live in the United States, U.S Presidents don’t make an effort to defend us like they do with many other citizens. We are just not looked at as citizens in the United States, although we are born here. A pattern has been noticed by U.S citizens, and that is that all U.S presidents continue to make the same decisions as the past president in office. People don’t feel like their voices are heard, so that is why many don’t believe in voting.

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Based on the linked article, citizens in Western democracies, mainly in Greece, exhibit a lack of interest in politics and low voter turnout. This voting turnout can be attributed to the belief that an individual's vote lacks significance and won't have an impact, even though, in reality, if many people share this belief, it collectively shapes the outcome. In my personal experience, within my cultural and family context, I often observe detachment in politics and a reluctance to vote with those close to me. This is mainly due to the frequent dissatisfaction with the final candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as issues concerning minorities. Arab Americans, in particular, often find it challenging to align with the principles of these candidates. For instance, in recent times, all the prominent presidential candidates have supported policies that are detrimental to their countries of origin, such as President Biden's substantial aid to Israel amidst their actions in Palestine. Many of these candidates also have questionable backgrounds or intentions that do not resonate with minority communities and typically favor the majority (e.g., white individuals). For example, my parents did not vote in the last election because they held unfavorable views toward both Biden and Trump. Additionally, when it comes to local elections, a significant portion of Western democracy's citizens may not participate, as they perceive local issues as less effective and less influential in their daily lives compared to national elections. As mentioned before, there is also a need for more motivation to vote both on the local level and state level because the major political parties need to align with their values or address their concerns.

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The 2023 Greek Elections Were an Exercise in Disillusionment

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The legislative election held in Greece on 25 June produced a victory for New Democracy, led by incumbent Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Yet as Athanasia Chalari explains, the real story may h…

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Even though I’m part of a family that really emphasizes the vitality of voting during election season, a part of me feels like my vote wouldn’t contribute much throughout a general election. However, as an Arab-American citizen, choosing and analyzing the policies of a candidate are annoying, since even when they claim they want to ‘help’ us, they do the opposite of what they conveyed (by either staying silent or siding with the oppressors).

A lack of voter turnout in an election is common in American politics, as the reasons range from a person’s demographics, age, socioeconomic status, and political socialization emphasized at a young age. The main target audience within voters consists of older people rather than younger people (millennials and Generation Z) since they are most distrustful to the United States government and the decisions enrooted in their policies—therefore leading to the cycle of political polarization.

Education plays a heavy role in forming political socialization, as there could be results of bias and flaws within their political ideologies/standpoints. Some school districts don't even have enough income to develop a civics course for history curriculums, which leads many students confused about the voting process and uninterested because of its complexities.

Both the United States and Greece deal with voter apathy—lack of voter turnout, lack of overall interest, and lack of information provided about the candidate or the policy. According to Athanasia Chalari, there is a widespread "overwhelming feeling among these respondents is that there is no longer any reliable and accountable form of support or protection within Greek society. They feel powerless and therefore consider it pointless to attempt to produce any form of political reaction (Chalari, 2023, p. 9)".

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In my experience, citizens in western democracies do not turn out to vote or are not interested in politics because they feel as if their vote does not matter. In many cases, they think that one vote is so minuscule compared to the millions of total votes that it takes for a candidate to be elected. Additionally, citizens that tend not to vote do not agree with the views of the candidates. If there is not one candidate that they like enough, they will not vote. Lastly, citizens might not vote because they feel that it is a burden not worth carrying. For example, in the U.S, a citizen has to register to vote which can be a process. Also, elections are held on Tuesday during the workday which is another difficulty to fight through. Consequently, all these reasons lead to apathy toward voting among citizens in western democracies.

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From my own personal experience, my family has never been strong on voting, especially on a National level. As a Muslim Arab-American, there has not been a single American president that has not committed a massacre upon my people for as long as I've been alive, and if they haven't massacred my people, then they have funded a third-party to do it for them. Voting for the lesser of two evils is picking between two genocidal maniacs, and while this logic may be flawed with emotional influence, while it makes sense to just pick the candidate that seems less bloodthirsty, it's tough knowing no matter who you vote for, your vote will be the catalyst for further destruction of your people and other marginalized ethnic peoples like you. In a more general sense, especially in regards to cynicism in politics, I think the biggest disconnect comes from a lack of a feeling of relatability from voter to politician, that is, the justified feeling of knowing a politician truly does not care about your problems and will likely do nothing to solve them. This may spark feelings of apathy or pessimism, which results in inaction.

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Low numbers of voter turn-out is an issue that candidates for elections have been trying to solve for years. In my experience, it’s because our vote feels like a drop in the ocean. It’s not important to the overall outcome of an election. But, is it not true that it’s the drops that make up an ocean? There would be no election if every voice didn’t matter. But sadly, not everyone believes that. I believe that it's the same issue for Greeks, it’s not just the lack of interest, but the insecurity of having your ideas not cared about.

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Citizens in western democracies, specifically Greek and American citizens, may not be interested in politics or have a low voter turnout due to a disillusionment and lack of trust within their governments. Some citizens may feel disillusioned with the political system believing that their votes won't make a difference or that politicians don't represent their interests. This way of thinking is why often times we hear people saying "why should I even vote, it won't make a difference." Further a lack of trust in political institutions, or certain political figures, may be low, which oftentimes discourages participation. Especially in today's society when scandals and corruption are a core part of the political process, this all plays a part in eroding trust.

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In the United States there are two primary parties to vote for and belong too, these being the Democratic party and the Republican party. Some voters view the political system as a war between the two parties fighting for power. Power meaning who has the most votes within the House and Senate. There are a handful of voters that don't feel they belong to either of the two parties. Some of these voters that are not members of the majority feel as through their candidate stands no chance in the race which leads to them not voting. If you don't like either candidate what is the point in voting at all? Voting for which candidate you dislike the least? In some cases citizens feel as though the effects of an election will have no significants on how they live their day to day life. Leaving them disinterested in voting at all.

In the U.S. there is a high number of younger ages that do not participate in voting. According to The New York Times fewer than half of Americans 18-29 voted in the 2016 presidential election. One reason young voters don't make it out to the polls as much as their elders is due to the idea of Habit Formation. This is based on the idea that participating in voting becomes a habit formed overtime, meaning the older you are the more likely you are to have participated in elections. However young people participate in elections less frequently therefore leading to less time to grow the habit.

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Citizens of Western democracies often choose not to vote because they feel their votes do not make a difference. They also may feel that none of the candidates are people that should actually be in power. The growing polarization in politics also makes choosing one political party or candidate to support more difficult. It can feel that to support a candidate of a certain party, you must also be prepared to support that party's views on a wide range of issues. Lastly, it can feel pointless to vote because it so often seems that politics does not make a difference. Many times it has been riots and uprisings that have fostered change, not the mechanics of governments.

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There are plenty of reasons people choose not to vote. As a member of the new generation, I think the most common reason is because many people, specifically us the young people, don't have any political knowledge. The education system doesn't provide us with any knowledge on politics, so when we reach adulthood and we have to vote, we don't know which politician to choose between all of them, with what criteria to choose any of them, or even how to vote. As a result, we don't have any interest in being involved in any political act and we let others choose for our future.

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Deciding not to vote is not an uncommon stance in America. In Greece, this phenomenon appears too. There are potentially more people who don't trust the system nowadays, this happens due to politicians and their actions or sometimes behavior. Some people also don’t like the candidates that participate in elections neither Local nor National. Still, other people choose not to vote because news and politics are not of interest to them. Some people find politics conflictual, difficult to understand, or are preoccupied with other aspects of their lives. Young people often fall into this category because they follow the news less. They do not feel especially well-informed about political candidates and think that the act of voting is a difficult choice to make.

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Modern society in correlation with politics.

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Modern society in correlation with politics.

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As a Greek university student,I firmly believe that today’s citizens consciously choose not to participate in the election process and are not interested in politics due to the fact that there is a lack of faith as concerns the advancement and evolution of the political system in general.Politicians have strongly dissatisfied society’s needs and do not cooperate according to its priorities.
To sum up,it is highly unlikely that people continue to vote unless the system gets rid of corruption and stops neglecting their demands.It is crucial that politicians listen carefully to people’s opinions and make an effort to fulfil their requests.

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Firstly, answering to the question why citizens in Western democracies are not interested in politics and do not turn out to vote, personally I think it’s due to the fact that they have been discouraged and both mentally and physically tired because the biggest percentage of them don’t even have the ability to support their basic needs like food, water and home.

Additionally, according to statistics, a large amount of citizens from western countries are immigrants and don’t have voting rights there.

Secondly, there are plenty reasons why Greek/American citizens do not vote in the local and national elections.

I believe the most important one is the lack of education. Being educated can help you have an opinion based on studies and not just a personal view.

Moreover, the apathy towards everyday developments is also one more reason why Greek/American citizens do not vote.

Finally, most of them are also tired from all the changes that politicians promised all the past years and have never happened and at the end the voters lost their hope for a better future.

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As we all know, people in Western democracies are not so interested in voting as they used to. Some possible reasons for their lack of interest is that they are feeling disconnected and can not see the importance of it. These days, a lot of things have a big impact on this, such as media, family, and friends. They can easily influence people’s opinions and even make them really insecure and confused about their choices. Thus, they choose not to vote.

Also, there can be various reasons why some Greek and American citizens do not vote in local and national elections. It could be due to a lack of interest in politics, feeling disconnected from the political process, or not seeing the impact their vote can make. It's important to encourage civic participation and raise awareness about the importance of voting.

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I reckon that the significance of democracy has partially changed throughout the history of humanity which may play such an important role in people's political apathy. However,  being influenced by some books I'm reading these days I would like to add some other perspectives as well. It goes without saying that the Western civilizations have been through lots of different political patterns throughout history which have led them to some type of pessimism when it comes to future plans. Even though we are experiencing modern democracy and the way of living is better than it used to be, we still believe that our vote doesn't contribute to our political development and we will still have to face cruel political situations.

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The people of the western world have started to have the feelings that no matter what they vote the outcome will always be against their interests because the elections are rigged therefore they don’t even take the time to go and vote. In Greece the situation is very similar, people don’t take the time and effort to look up politicians and their policies believing “they are all the same anyway”.  But also many don’t have the time to go and vote because of personal reasons or work.

-F.F.F

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During the last decades, fewer and fewer people actually vote especially here in Greece And that's why almost everyone lost hope in politicians by being betrayed again and again. Nowadays people care more about money than everything else and that makes them egoistic and

incapable of contributing to the common good

Rigas from Greece

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People in Western countries do not vote because the lack of internal politics changes and the overall lack of hope that dominates the political world. Also,i personally believe that social media and mass media support the abstence of voting,as it supports the dominant party, that usually supports those who can change the vote results in various ways. As for the abstence of Greek voters,the numeral economical crises and the lack of real changes in the political field fuels the belief that every politician is one and the same,and voting is unnecessary,and,even more, useless.

Dimitis,from Greece

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Nowadays more and more citizens, especially young, educated and in a large amount of cases people form middle economic class take the decision to do not vote in local or national elections. It is considered that this is happen due to the lack of information that guides us in a lack of interest and the lack of trust in democratic values in coexistence with the thought that all the politicians are unappropriate  for the positions they occupied at the end.

Lazarus
From Greece.

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I am from Athens Greece and only 34% voted in the municipal elections. I think it is very important for a citizen to vote. Everyone must decide the future of their country or city. I believe that abstention is not a solution. Those who want to change the situation must vote or peacefully claim what they want

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I am from Athens Greece and only 34% voted in the municipal elections. I think it is very important for a citizen to vote. Everyone must decide the future of their country or city. I believe that abstention is not a solution. Those who want to change the situation must vote or peacefully claim what they want

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KONSTANTINOS PANAGIOTIS MARIOLIS

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Cynicism and Politics in Modern Democracies.

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Cynicism and Politics in Modern Democracies.