It was a slim majority of those who actually voted, so less than half of eligible voters. There are many, many people who are not happy with how things are going.
It doesn't matter. If it's not our (I'm from the U.S.) fault, then whose fault is it? We all, collectively, are ultimately responsible for the outcome of the election. It was our job to convince everyone, including those who didn't vote, to vote for the opposition instead. We failed.
People who are hurt by the policies of this administration aren't going to say "gee, one third of the United States really sucks." Nor should they. Right now, the United States sucks. The onus is on us, all of us, to fix it.
Every time there's a school shooting, somebody defends gun rights "because muh well-armed militias" - I'm yet to see that put into action. Or maybe the well-armed militias are happy with the "progress".
Sure, we’re quibbling over when we measure the status quo. I’m measuring it across the election, pre and post. If you don’t vote you effectively endorsed the outcome even if you came up with some bizarre logic around why that isn’t the case. (Similarly, a vote for a third party in a swing state is de facto a vote for the major candidate you wouldn’t have voted for.)
To the point here, Americans who didn’t vote bear responsibility for our current political situation.
In this particular election, it doesn’t feel like non-voters get a pass. Even people outside the US were constantly inundated by what was at stake. In 2016, sure, everyone was caught by surprise. In 2024, non-voters don’t get to complain about the result, they have themselves to blame.
This is true for all elections where majority rules and voting is optional. Not voting effectively is an endorsement of whoever ends up winning. By not voting you are saying "I am OK with whoever wins."
