This One Image Reveals Why You Never Actually Chose Your Presidential Nominees
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Democrats and Republicans have selected their presidential nominees and there are only three more months before Americans vote for their next president.
But are the people of this nation actually making the decision? An analysis by The New York Times shows that "America" didn't really pick the presidential nominees in the first place.
Only 9 percent of the U.S. population voted for Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Republican nominee Donald Trump in the primary elections.
This image shows just how little the presidential nominees actually reflect a choice by the whole country. Each flag represents an eligible voter.
/ Deanna Lam
Out of 100 Americans who are eligible to vote, only nine of them voted for Trump or Clinton in the primaries.
A very small percentage of Americans decided the presidential nominees in the primaries, and millions of Americans will sit out the big decision in November as well. About 88 million eligible Americans did not vote in the primary election and they won't vote in the general election either, according to The Times.
However, more Americans are expected to vote in the November election for president compared to the number who voted in the primary elections.
About 73 million people did not vote in the primaries but said they will most likely vote in the general election, according to The Times. Nearly half of primary election voters did vote for former candidates, and these are the people Trump and Clinton need to swing over to their side in upcoming months of their campaigns.
One important bloc of voters could be young Americans, if they show up. There are 69.2 million millennials of voting age but they are less likely to vote than older generations, according to Pew Research Center. In the past two presidential elections, 46 to 50 percent of millennials said they voted compared to 61 percent of the older Generation X.
Low voter turnout can lead to big problems.
In June, the United Kingdom held a referendum to decide whether to stay or leave the European Union, an important decision with big implications. The referendum resulted in a narrow vote to leave, commonly called the Brexit.
The young people of the U.K., who will have to live with the consequences of the decision, heavily favored staying in the E.U. but they didn't turn out to vote. Only an estimated 36 percent of 18 to 24 year olds turned out to vote in the referendum, according to The Independent.
People on Twitter are concerned about voter turnout in the U.S. elections following Brexit.
There are less than 100 days until the general election on Nov. 8.
