Opening the 'black box' : models of voter turnout and compulsory voting in Australia

Researchers studying electoral turnout have conventionally adopted a variant of the 'rational choice' approach, developed by Downs and modified by Riker and Ordershook, to explain why people vote. This approach privileges individuals' perceptions of duty. Recently, Franklin has challenged this, claiming instead that individuals' perceptions of the democratic character of elections are the major influence on turnout.