On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2026, most Americans will not vote. In the coverage of the upcoming election, between now and then, that fact will not garner many mentions. Nor will it garner many mentions in the after-the-fact reporting once the election has come and gone, or in the after-action assessments produced by whichever of the two major parties loses the midterms. It’s a glaring political blindspot in a system where elections are determined every bit as much by who stays home as by who turns out.