Voter apathy has plagued the UK’s elections for decades. 

Despite the Labour Party winning by a landslide after 14 years of Conservative rule, turnout at the 2024 general election was roughly only 60% - the lowest it's been since 2001. 

On the other hand, the US doesn’t seem to experience this.

In fact, around two-thirds of the voting population participated in the 2020 presidential election - the highest rate for a national election since 1900. Furthermore, the past three of the US’ midterm elections had the highest voter turnouts in decades. 

And it doesn’t end there - the voter turnout for the US’ upcoming election is only predicted to increase, with a new generation tuning in and even uncommitted voters expressing their decision to vote this time around.

So why is there such a stark difference between the US and the UK?

I would point to the difference in voting culture. 

The UK is very conservative when it comes to the discussion of politics. 

For instance, in a UK survey, over 40% of correspondents agreed that it was better to keep political views private in order to avoid conflict. In a similar vein, the BBC’s charter outlines its aim to be impartial when reporting on news and current affairs (impartiality is applied inconsistently to many American news networks). 

Meanwhile, the US adopts a much more blatant approach to conversing about elections. 

The US does not shy away from talking about politics. On TikTok alone, the presidential candidates have millions of followers and the hashtag #election2024 has hundreds of thousands of videos. 

This can also be demonstrated by celebrities publicly supporting presidential candidates. 

For one, the National Conventions are supported by public figures. For example, the RNC (Republican National Convention) was joined by personalities such as Hulk Hogan and Kid Rock, while the DNC (Democratic National Convention) had stars like Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey grace the stage. 

Moreover, celebrity endorsements online for presidential contenders are pretty common too. Megastar Taylor Swift’s endorsement of candidate Kamala Harris racked up millions of likes and garnered significant attention. Alternatively, Elon Musk has publicly spoken in support of Donald Trump too. 

Celebrities also play a part in encouraging people to vote. 

For instance, Olivia Rodrigo filmed a TikTok casting her vote for her first election to demonstrate “how easy it was”. Additionally, nonprofit HeadCount teamed up with Ariana Grande to mail fans reminders to vote. 

This is reflected in the process of voting too. 

Americans receive ‘I Voted’ stickers after casting their vote. Companies like Krispy Kreme have offered freebies and discounts to customers on Election Day. 

Essentially, participating in politics is created to be exciting to Americans.

It is current, it is everywhere, it is embedded in the lives of average Americans - from their social media, to their beloved icons, to their favourite brands. It is in their faces (maybe even in ours, too.) 

This poses the question: if voting culture were louder in the UK, would this increase voter participation? Would voter apathy still be as bad as it is?

Moreover, is the voting culture in the USA better than in the UK?