Americans may have wanted to congratulate themselves after the 2020 elections. That’s because pretty much 66.6% of you cast nationwide polls, one figure the Pew Research Center said it was the highest since 1900.

That year, 73.7% showed up to the polls and William McKinley was elected president.

But while it’s good to see an upward trend in voter turnout, the sobering truth is that the 34 percent of the country who didn’t vote, or about 75 million people, could have had a profound impact on the outcome if they had voted. time to study the issues and platforms, then vote.

In other words, if you have not yet completed and returned your ballot, please do so. It may sound cliché, but every vote is important. And the official Election Day is Tuesday, which is your last chance to drop off your absentee ballots at an official drop box or vote in person at an official polling location.

The percentage of eligible Utahns (defined as adults over 18) who voted in 2020 was higher than the national figureat 69.17%. For comparison, in 2012, when Mitt Romney was the Republican nominee, only 56.12% of eligible voters cast ballots in Utah.

Again, this is a good trend, but more than 30%, or about 650,000 people, did not participate.

As the late Chicago journalist said Sydney J. Harris said“Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be if they are the powers that should exist. »

This is a remarkable system and, for every eligible voter, a remarkable and important responsibility. The most powerful people in government can be removed from office if enough people believe they have not performed their duties adequately, but only if people actually voted.

THE The Census Bureau noted things that may seem obvious, but are worth considering. Older people vote in higher proportions than young people. Among those who were aged 18 to 24 in 2020, only 51.4% voted, compared to 76% of those aged 65 to 74.

Income is also an indicator. Among those earning between $100,000 and $149,000 per year in 2020, the participation rate was 81%. Among those earning between $30,000 and $39,000, this proportion was 63.6%. Additionally, the more education a person has, the more likely they are to vote.

Director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California told the Associated Press that the ballots are not representative of the entire population. Low-income communities are not as well represented as wealthier communities. Young people are not heard as much as older generations.

Of course, not everyone in these demographic groups would vote together as a bloc, but this inequity of representation is a problem intentionally created by those who don’t vote. Perhaps many people feel helpless in a vast and rich country. Perhaps they feel the same way as the 73-year-old Detroit man who told the AP that which party is in power doesn’t matter. The lives of those struggling to make ends meet will not improve.

But the vote of a low-income person counts as that of the richest person in the country. The numbers suggest that young people and low-income people would generate powerful voices if they decided to exercise their right to vote and mobilize on certain issues.

This year, as was the case four years ago, many issues are at stake and troubling animosities exist between members of the different parties. Many election workers face threats. Some voters have lost confidence in public institutions. We do not attempt to address these issues here, except perhaps to point out the irony of rising voter percentages at a time when so many people are outwardly expressing doubts about the integrity of the electoral process.

We are confident that Utahns have great confidence in their county’s election processes, as they should.

If you’re not registered to vote, you’re in luck. Utah is one of the few states that allows people to register when they show up at polling stations to vote in person. You will need to present two pieces of identification.

It’s easy and it’s important. Don’t let your chance to be heard disappear.

As Thomas Jefferson said“We don’t have a majority government. We have a majority government that participates.