Matt, one thing political scientists do know is that when elections are competitive and high-stakes, more people vote because they feel like it matters. So driving us to existential angst is certainly one way to increase turnout. But even if we get to 65 percent turnout this year (conceivable), which would be the highest since 1908, we’d still be in the middle of the pack among advanced democracies, many of which regularly have turnout in the 70 or even 80 percent range.
