One of the explanation is the voter's cost benefit calculus, which can represent a voter's concerns for the functioning of her polity, but also other intrinsic benefits provided by the act of voting itself, such as the warm glow of acting in a pro-social way.
None of them picture the act of voting.
The act of voting itself takes place in voting booths to protect privacy.
Many people expressed faith that the act of voting itself would change Tunisia for the better, no matter who won.
"They've made voter registration and the act of voting more difficult," said Representative Charlie Gonzalez, Democrat of Texas.
Didn't those urging me to exercise my democratic right say it was the act of voting itself that mattered, not who or what one voted for?
He explained how the act of voting for Obama (and seeing his middle name Hussein on the ballot) caused him to sob, thus smudging his check mark.
"[This referendum] does not leave space for democratic deliberation and reduces the act of voting to a mere formality," he said, adding that with the creditors' proposal expiring on Tuesday, the referendum seemed redundant.
For now, though, the act of voting itself appeared to vent to the public's anger after a week of clashes that brought hundreds of thousands out in Cairo to demand that the military hand over power to a civilian government.
"What I call 'scare story one' was that the act of voting leave would cause an immediate and profound downturn in the economy, and that's been proved to be entirely false".
Because of the fury of this election, and of the uncertainty over what the reaction of Trump and his supporters might be, there has been extra tension surrounding the act of voting.
