WordNet
n. the total number of votes cast; "they are hoping for a large vote" [syn: vote]
Wikipedia
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. (Who is eligible varies by country, and should not be confused with the total adult population. For example, some countries discriminate based on sex, race, and/or religion. Age and citizenship are usually among the criteria.) After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1980s. In general, low turnout may be due to disenchantment, indifference, or contentment. Low turnout is often considered to be undesirable, and there is much debate over the factors that affect turnout and how to increase it. In spite of significant study into the issue, scholars are divided on reasons for the decline. Its cause has been attributed to a wide array of economic, demographic, cultural, technological, and institutional factors. There have been many efforts to increase turnout and encourage voting.
Different countries have very different voter turnouts. For example, in the United States 2012 presidential election turnout was 55%. In Belgium, which has compulsory voting, and Malta, which does not, participation reaches 95%. These differences are caused by a mix of cultural and institutional factors.
Usage examples of "voter turnout".
Amid unusually high voter turnout, Reagan was re-elected in the largest electoral college total ever.
Everybody complains about low voter turnout in Miami but nobody does anything about it.
The reason these guys did so well was that voter turnout in the period 1840-1900 was amazingly high -- it fell below 70 percent only once, and it topped 80 percent three times.
After the turn of the century, voter turnout declined sharply for various reasons.
Finally, voter turnout was likely to be well below that of 1992, because the voters had been told for several weeks that the campaign was over.
The California Secretary of State, March Fong Eu, was predicting the lowest voter turnout in forty-six years.
Whatever the modern record for voter turnout is, I'm sure we're going to see it broken.