'Explain the term 'turnout' used in the extract' (June 2016)

Turnout is an expression, as a percentage, of the registered electorate who cast a ballot in a particular election, referendum, or byelection. For instance, the extract highlights that turnout in the Newark byelection of 2014 was 52.7%. Although the headline figure within any election cycle can lead some to make conclusions regarding voting behavior, it can mask differential turnout within the regions of the United Kingdom. For instance, albeit the headline figure of the general election was 66%, turnout in Scotland, which some have attributed to the 'referendum effect' of mid-term participation enabled by the 2014 plebicite, was around 71%. Thus, some political scientists have argued that turnout, at least in the broadest sense, is a blunt tool when making judgements about voting behaviour.