What does “voter turnout” say about an election? It appears in most election coverage, but what does it acutally mean? And does the meaning change depending on the election?
Some recent elections to consider:

• Voter turnout has been incredibly high in primaries across the U.S.
• Votern turnout was low (lower than expected, lower than in the previous election) in Pakistan’s general election last month
• Low voter turnout was expected in today’s parliamentary elections in Iran, though the actual turn out may be higher than expected.

From the BBC on today’s elections in Iran:

Top election official Ali Reza Afshar said turnout had been “glorious” and higher than in previous polls.
But observers had predicted turnout would not be much above 50%, perhaps lower in the capital, Tehran.
The BBC’s Jon Leyne in Tehran says the lack of choice among candidates could have discouraged voters.

What do you think? What do voter turn out figures mean? Are they an indication of voters’ interests in the results? Or are they bogus figures tied to things like the weather on election day? Do voter turnout figures mean more for some elections and less for others?
I’ve got elections on the mind. How ’bout you?
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