Sins of Omission: Abstention in Democratic Institutions

Authors

Grant M. Hayden, Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of LawFollow

Abstract

Assumptions regarding the effect of an abstention guide the theory and practice of abstention across the full range of democratic decisionmaking. Sometimes, however, these assumptions are false, and may prevent voters from achieving their objectives. This Article examines the effect that abstention has under common voting procedures, dispelling many assumptions that voters make about the effect of an abstention.

Publication Title

University of Illinois Law Review

Document Type

Article

Keywords

elections, voting procedures, voting – abstention, effect of abstention, mistaken abstention, absolute quotas, relative quotas, No-Show Paradox, Robert’s Rules of Order, plurality runoffs, democratic decisionmaking

Recommended Citation

Grant M. Hayden, Sins of Omission: Abstention in Democratic Institutions, 2016 U. Ill. L. Rev. 425 (2016)