abstention -
The act of abstaining; a holding aloof; refraining from.
abstention -
The act of declining to vote on a particular issue.
abstention -
Non-participation in the political world; as a country avoiding international affairs.
Wikipedia
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot wilfully made invalid by marking it wrongly or by not marking anything at all. A "blank (or white) voter" has voted, although his vote may be considered a spoilt vote, depending on each legislation, while an abstaining voter hasn't voted.
