Voter turnout refers to the percentage of those eligible to vote who exercise that privilege. With the US national election tomorrow, it seemed an appropriate topic for this blog. Before we get to the featured map, I thought a little history might (or might not) be interesting.
Early Forms of Democracy
Based on observations of human groups isolated from the modern world, researchers determined that majority rule pre-dates the formation of cities. With less than 100 people, these groups can easily make consensus-based decisions. That doesn’t mean power and authority are equally shared, but there’s often no formally designated leadership. Population growth changed that dynamic.
Growing Populations
As settlements developed into towns and cities, the familial relationships between residents dissipated. At the same time, the need for coordination accelerated–think crop coordination, security, etc. Civil and religious hierarchical structures filled these gaps. Many of these systems evolved into hereditary offices creating civilization’s earliest ruling dynasties. This pattern occurred independently in each of the classical (Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China) cradles of civilization. The leaders of these dynasties may have utilized assemblies, councils, or other groups to legitimize their rule, but these were not ‘democratic’ institutions as we think of them today.
Earliest Democracy
Most historians accept that the earliest ‘modern’ democratic rule began in Athens. Geography contributed to the creation of smaller Greek city-states rather than the large sprawling empires of the river civilizations. Powerful aristocracies dominated each of these cities or poleis. This concentration of power in the hands of the few led to the exploitation of the many, which in turn led to social upheaval. To solve the crisis, the people of Athens (rich and poor) appointed Solon for a solution. His reforms established the right of all citizens to participate in the Ecclesia (city Assembly), which passed laws, elected officials, and oversaw the court system. The wealthy still maintained power, but the poor could check their most egregious abuses. Over the next century other reformers, chief among them Cleisthenes, transferred more protections and power to the less wealthy.
Other Examples
Other Greek city-states also faced social upheavals and initiated proto-democratic reforms. Spartan society valued military prowess, but equality among citizens was also important. Sparta’s solution to the turmoil retained a dual kingship, but it also established an elected legislative assembly (Apella), which selected public officials. Proto-democratic states also existed outside the Mediterranean basin. According to the Greek historian Diodorus, democratic states with monarchs (rajas) and citizen assemblies existed contemporaneously in India.
Modern Democracies
None of the early democratic societies survived antiquity, but their ideals did. Parliaments and assemblies weren’t uncommon in early Medieval Europe. The Isle of Man’s Tynwald traces its origins to the 9th century and Iceland’s Althing was founded in 930. Many other parliamentary bodies draw connections from slightly later in the period. However, the rise of monarchies during the Middle Ages eclipsed the power of these bodies until the revolutionary period of the 18th and 19th centuries. The rise of democracy was both evolutionary (e.g., Britain) and revolutionary (e.g., United States). The latter looked to the classical Greek and Roman Republican institutions as models.
Continuing Evolution
From their founding through the present day, the democratic nations have continued to evolve. The US Constitution has been successfully amended 27 times, including the 21st Amendment which repealed the 18th Amendment’s ban on alcohol. The changes include additional rights and protections for citizens, eliminating slavery, and expanding those eligible to vote.
That brings us to our map of voter turnout which comes courtesy of World Population Review
At the risk of sounding like a PSA, if your country has an election exercise your right to vote!
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
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