Voter turnout in the U.S. is typically much lower than you might expect, lagging behind that of other developed democratic countries around the world.

A 2018 Pew Research Center study looked at the percentage of the voting-age population who participated in the most recent national election in 32 countries. The U.S. came in at No. 26, with only 56% of voting-age Americans casting ballots in the 2016 election. (The percentage of the voting-eligible population who participated was higher at 60%, according to the United States Election Project. The voting-eligible metric excludes voting-age people who cant cast a ballot because theyre not citizens or they have a felony conviction.)

Regardless of which metric you look at, its clear that a very large swath of the country that could vote doesnt. You can make a difference, however small, by encouraging your friends and family to cast ballots this year and beyond. Below, experts share common reasons people dont vote and how you can persuade them to do so.

Why People Dont Vote

Citizens may fail to participate in an election for any number of reasons sometimes they cant, sometimes they dont want to and sometimes theyre not sure how.

For many, its a matter of access. They cant take the time off work, they dont have transportation to their polling location, they have a health issue or disability that makes it challenging to vote, or (especially this year) they dont know how to obtain a mail-in ballot.

Structural barriers like voter ID requirements , voter roll purges , felony disenfranchisement , closure of polling sites and other forms of voter suppression often disproportionately impact Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities . Just registering to vote is a hurdle for many people, given the early deadlines and inability to register online in some states .

Then there are folks who choose to stay home on Election Day. They might be cynical about politics in general, feel apathetic about the candidates, not want to deal with the hassle of voting or think their vote doesnt matter anyway.

People dont vote because of negative campaigning which makes them believe that roles such as voter, Democrat or Republican do not fit them, Kevin Lanning , a psychology and data science professor at Florida Atlantic University, told HuffPost. They dont vote because their impression of parties and candidates doesnt correspond to their own self-image.

And sometimes people dont vote because no one asked them to, said University of Richmond political science professor Jennifer Erkulwater . Thats where you come in.

Humans are social beings, and having someone ask you to do something is a powerful way of motivating action, she said. Political parties, political and civic organizations, and our friend groups are networks that we draw from to keep us informed about politics and motivate us to take action.

Practical Ways To Encourage Loved Ones To Vote