Silent Majority

The term silent majority refers to a large group of voters who have enormous power but who do not typically vocalize or always utilize their power.

It is widely believed that the majority of voters do not voice their opinions publicly and do not necessarily participate in every political activity or every election.

Example:

The state Party leadership was frustrated and discussed the problem with the lack of support for candidates selected during conventions in subsequent general elections. The party leadership and activists preferred the more extreme candidates selected in conventions while the silent majority preferred candidates that are more moderate. If the silent majority did not participate, then they had a better chance of selecting the candidates they wanted, but then the candidates might lose support from them in the general election. If the silent majority participated in the conventions then Party leadership and activists were not as happy with the candidates selected and the candidates could lose support from the activists in the general election but retain support from the majority. The Party did not think that it was fair for the silent majority to complain if they did not even bother participate.