How greatly do we value this resolution? If the election costs $175,000, fine. If that works out to $30 per participating voter, so what? If more voters participated, the average cost would have gone down, but the total cost may have increased, and the total opportunity cost (in terms of voters' time) would absolutely increase.

We can possibly be pleased when voter turnout is low, since it represents a more efficient resolution of the initial question: how to make collective decisions. If there is little contention between candidates, then there is greater agreement within the community, so we will want to expend less resources on elections.

It is easy to say we want more people to vote, but it is not necessarily true.The group most likely to complain about voter turnout is the one whose candidate lost. Otherwise, it does not matter how many vote, only how many are pleased with the outcome.

Nathanael Snow