The right to vote in the direct election of public officials is today taken for granted by citizens of the United States. In the 1960s, a series of civil rights movements finally banned election discrimination and guaranteed the right to vote to every citizen, regardless of race, sex, or religious affiliation. However, because only a minority of Americans actually do vote in local elections, another controversial issue has arisen regarding elections and nonvoting: is there a right not to vote? Nonvoting, which has become much more frequent in recent years, has been viewed as a dangerous sign of voter apathy and a threat to democracy. On the other hand, it has also been dismissed as a minor problem that has been blown far out of proportion. But which view is correct? The answer can only be determined through an analysis of the types of non-voters and the motivations behind their decisions to not vote. The reason citizens most often give for their decision to not vote is that they don