--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe what stopped people from voting…" description: "\"“Maybe what stopped people from voting wasn't a lack of information about the candidates or a feeling that the outcomes of races didn't matter or a sen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/sasha-issenberg-67097_behavior_maybe-what-stopped-people-from-voting-wa_691866.jpg" --- # Maybe what stopped people from voting wasn't a lack of… ![“Maybe what stopped people from voting wasn't a lack of information about the candidates or a feeling that the outcomes of races didn't matter or a sense that a trip to the polls was inconvenient. What if voting wasn't only a political act, but a social one that took place in a liminal space…” quote by Sasha Issenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/sasha-issenberg-67097_behavior_maybe-what-stopped-people-from-voting-wa_691866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/sasha-issenberg-67097_behavior_maybe-what-stopped-people-from-voting-wa_691866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/sasha-issenberg-67097_behavior_maybe-what-stopped-people-from-voting-wa_691866.jpg) > ““Maybe what stopped people from voting wasn't a lack of information about the candidates or a feeling that the outcomes of races didn't matter or a sense that a trip to the polls was inconvenient. What if voting wasn't only a political act, but a social one that took place in a liminal space between the public and private that had never been well-defined to citizens? What if toying with those expectations was key to turning a person into a voter? What if elections were simply less about shaping people's opinions than changing their behaviors?”” Sasha Issenberg ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Voting can be reframed as a social ritual that bridges public and private life, influencing behavior beyond mere opinion shaping. **In simple terms:** Voting is a social act that changes behavior. Key Takeaway Design civic events that blend community and voting. Themes civic engagement behavioral change social rituals Mood reflective optimistic Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - community festivals - neighborhood meetings - online civic platforms Key Concepts social psychology political theory behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - How can community norms be leveraged to boost participation? - What social cues most affect voting behavior? A Different Perspective If social incentives are weak, turnout may not improve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Elections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elections/) [Voter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voter/) ## Related quotes > [If voting wasn't important, why would they be spending so much time and so much energy trying to stop you from doing it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/if-voting-wasn-t-important-why-would-they-be-spending-so-much-time/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [You're more likely to see someone fatally struck by lightning than witness a case of in-person voter fraud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perez/you-re-more-likely-to-see-someone-fatally-struck-by-lightning-than/) [Tom Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perez/) > [Like anyone from any party who has stood for election, I've often had the depressing experience of meeting an 18- or 19-year-old new voter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lidington/like-anyone-from-any-party-who-has-stood-for-election-i-ve-often-had/) [David Lidington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lidington/) > [Who the voter chooses to vote for is up to him or her, I would only request all eligible voters to go out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-nath-kovind/who-the-voter-chooses-to-vote-for-is-up-to-him-or-her-i-would-only/) [Ram Nath Kovind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-nath-kovind/) > [“Pick a leader who will keep jobs in your country by offering companies incentives to hire only within their borders, not one who allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/pick-a-leader-who-will-keep-jobs-in-your-country-by-offering/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [You constantly hear about voter fraud... but you don't see huge amounts of vote fraud out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/you-constantly-hear-about-voter-fraud-but-you-don-t-see-huge-amounts/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [Nearly two and a half million people die every year that are on the voter rolls. So it takes time to get dead people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/nearly-two-and-a-half-million-people-die-every-year-that-are-on-the/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [The stupidity of the American voter is exceeded only by its slovenliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gruber/the-stupidity-of-the-american-voter-is-exceeded-only-by-its/) [Jonathan Gruber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gruber/) > [“The real purpose of the opposition is to minimize the amount of money the ruling party will have stolen from the people at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/the-real-purpose-of-the-opposition-is-to-minimize-the-amount-of-money/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Same day voter registration is just common sense and a proven way to increase voter participation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-phillips/same-day-voter-registration-is-just-common-sense-and-a-proven-way-to/) [Dean Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-phillips/) > [“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding-its-way/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Voter fraud is almost non-existent. People don't just show up on election day, trying to impersonate other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/voter-fraud-is-almost-non-existent-people-don-t-just-show-up-on/) [Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/) > [“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/as-democracy-is-perfected-the-office-of-president-represents-more-and/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [Voter fraud is common in America. Those who tell you otherwise are lying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/voter-fraud-is-common-in-america-those-who-tell-you-otherwise-are/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [I've proposed a contract with the American voter that will give the government back to the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-ve-proposed-a-contract-with-the-american-voter-that-will-give-the/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by Sasha Issenberg > [“The people who explain politics for a living – the politicians themselves, their advisers, the media who cover them – love to reach conclusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-issenberg/the-people-who-explain-politics-for-a-living-the-politicians/) Sasha Issenberg > [“Our campaigns have not grown more humanistic because our candidates are more benevolent or their policy concerns more salient. In fact, over the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-issenberg/our-campaigns-have-not-grown-more-humanistic-because-our-candidates/) Sasha Issenberg > [“Loving the game meant mastering the mechanics of the game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-issenberg/loving-the-game-meant-mastering-the-mechanics-of-the-game/) Sasha Issenberg Explore all 4 Sasha Issenberg quotes ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Maybe what stopped people from voting wasn't a lack of information about the candidates or a feeling that the outcomes of races didn't matter or a sense that a trip to the polls was inconvenient. What if voting wasn't only a political act, but a social one that took place in a liminal space between the public and private that had never been well-defined to citizens? What if toying with those expectations was key to turning a person into a voter? 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