STUDY DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS UNEQUAL DEMOCRACIES: WHO DOES (NOT) VOTE? Voter turnout trends in the OSCE region since 1970 Democracy is the promise of political equality for citi­zens expressed in free and fair elections. When more and more people no longer vote, democracy suffers. Low voter turnout means socially unequal voter turnout. People with lower levels of education and members of professions with lower social status are disproportionally less likely to vote when voter turnout drops. This effect of socially unequal voting is especially prominent among young voters. A translation of the German or i ginal »Wer geht(nicht) wählen?« by Lea Elsässer, Armin Schäfer and Jonas Wenker June 2022 The smallest turnout differenc­es is found in the egalitarian democracies of Northern Eu­rope whereas stronger differ­ences subsist in the young Eastern European democracies and Anglo-Saxon countries.