Political science principles suggest the cost of devoting time, getting in the car to go to the polls and standing in line to vote is greater than the reward received if a voter's preferred candidate wins.
R = (P x B) - C.
Eric Groenendyk, assistant professor of political science at the University of Memphis, said this equation tells citizens the cost of voting is "likely to swamp the benefits." He said that by benefits, specifically policy benefits, he means what is gained if the candidate that an individual votes for wins.
In the equation, P, or the probability of casting the deciding vote, is zero, Groenendyk said. R, or the reward of voting, is determined by multiplying that probability by B, the benefit or gain received by a certain candidate being elected, minus C, the cost of voting, which includes the time it takes to register and vote.
"It is very unlikely that the election will boil down to a single vote," he said.
Heather Larsen-Price, assistant professor of political science, said that even though the statistical impact of voting is extremely low, people still vote because it's their right.
According to 2010 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, 42.2 percent of 18- to 24-year-old citizens said they didn't vote in 2008 because of a lack of interest in the election. Another 3.6 percent said they did not think their vote would make a difference.
"People go out and vote because it's their duty," Groenendyk said.
He said he believes people vote because of psychological benefits and because they want to be viewed as a good citizen and a good partisan. Voting is a tradition that American citizens have made an obligation.
Larsen-Price said that because the country has a history of disenfranchisement with many groups of people, some Americans vote because people have worked for the right.
According to Groenendyk, the question "Why don't more people vote?" should be rephrased to "Why do people vote at all?"
People don't vote because of self-interest, he said, because voting is not in anyone's self interest.
"If you really think about the logic in a purely policy-beneficial way, it reverses the question to why would anyone vote," Groenendyk said.
Larsen-Price said since the United States is a republic, voting is the citizen's chance to choose the political leaders that will run the country.
If a person lives in a swing state, she said that person may feel their vote matters more than if a person lives in a "blue" state or a "red" state.
"When we think of how people participate [in society] that is the first thing we think of - whether or not you vote," Larsen-Price said.
