Quote Originally Posted by Zimzum
When is the last time 60% of American voters voted? For federal elections we have not had a 60% turnout since 1968... My source on my figure
I've always believed that the main reason Americans do not have voter turnout like other countries is because we do not get time off to vote. Unlike the U.S., election day in many countries is a holiday. With an average 47 hour work week, it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, for many Americans to get to the polls on election day.

Iran, for instance, has a combination of holidays that shut them down for almost a week during their election time:

http://drugbilldebacle.tpmcafe.com/b...ut_good_or_bad
Another example is the two extra days of Ramadan holiday he declared while we where there that really irritated the business class, but played to Ahmedinejad's base, the lower-middle class devout Shi'a voters who fled Tehran for a happy four-day holiday in the provinces. Meanwhile the government shut down and nothing in the city got done. This is important because Iran's weekend is on Thursday and Friday, everything is shut down. No mail. No government offices open. No banks. And then their work week begins on Saturday. But it's a problem for business people because the rest of the world--like China--has a weekend similar to ours. It creates financial problems, among the more obvious, especially trade settlement on oil contracts and the like (if you've ever done international finance you'll know what I am talking about. His actions basically cut out almost a full work week. Great for some, but if you are engaged in international trade or commerce of any kind you lost money.
Breukelen advocaat Reviewed by Breukelen advocaat on . Iranian Elections What if there people send a message to there government like we did in our last election? Iran's vast participation at election polls ISNA - Tehran Service: Politic Rating: 5