turnout
TURN-owt
/ˈtɜːrn.aʊt/
The number of people who attend or participate in an event, especially the percentage of eligible voters who cast ballots in an election.
Crucial metric in elections; high turnout usually reflects high civic engagement, while low turnout indicates apathy or voter suppression.
The story behind the word. Originating from the English phrasal verb 'to turn out', meaning to leave one's house and gather in the streets or at a venue. By the late 19th century, American newspapers began using 'voter turnout' as a consolidated noun to describe the total body of citizens who 'turned out' at polling stations.
Word relationships
- participation rate: 'Participation rate' is an academic statistic, whereas 'turnout' is the standard everyday and media term.
- abstention rate: The percentage of eligible voters who choose not to vote.
Commonly confused with
- outcome: 'Turnout' is how many people voted; 'outcome' is who won the election.
Word family
- turn out (phrasal verb): To attend or participate in an event.
Collocations
- voter turnout
- high turnout
- low turnout
- record turnout
- turnout rate
Example sentences
- "Voter turnout reached a record high of seventy-two percent during the general election." Election news
- "Bad weather on election day significantly reduced voter turnout in rural districts." Sociological study
Memory hook
People who TURN OUT of their homes to vote. How many voters actually showed up.
When not to use
Do not use 'turnout' to describe the outcome or winner of an election.
Fun facts
- Belgium introduced compulsory voting in 1893, resulting in one of the highest consistently maintained voter turnout rates in the world (over 88%).
Related words
Explore more words
engagement, plurality, disenfranchise, suffrage, apathy, civic
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