I read this Sunday that in North Carolina they expect roughly 1/3 of the eligable voters to actually vote in this coming election. That's %33 for the fraction-phobic among you. That means 2/3 (or %66) will NOT vote. I presume this number is fairly representative of the nation as a whole. Can we accept such a vote as being valid? If %17 of voting age people voted for a candidate, why the hell should I think they represent to choice of the People?

A quorum is among the most basic of ideals associated with voting. I think it's time we made it a formal part of our election laws.