Nearly three out of four registered voters in New York State stayed home on Election Day. Turnout in the state was historically low — just 28.8 percent. And it was this absence of so many voters from the polls that led to many victories by Republican state Senate candidates backed by hedge-fund managers who love charter schools and disdain public education.

Turnout — or the lack of turnout — has consequences.

In the half-dozen competitive state Senate races around the state, a higher turnout by public school supporters could have made the difference.

We are now left with a state Senate obligated to financiers who spent millions of dollars in hopes of getting an unfettered expansion of charter schools.

The UFT, NYSUT and our allies will fight against favoritism toward charter schools. We will stand strong for fairness and equity in education in New York State.

But it is worth reflecting on how few New Yorkers participated in the democratic process. New York’s voter turnout has been dropping steadily since the mid-1970s. On Nov. 6, we had the fourth-lowest turnout in the country, despite our having a race for governor, two other statewide races and 27 races for the U.S. House of Representatives.

One way to boost participation is to make voting easier.

New York makes voter registration more difficult than almost any other state, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. That needs to change. In addition, New York could consider allowing mail-in balloting and early voting.

Two of the three states with mail-in balloting, Colorado and Oregon, had among the highest participation rates in this election. And 33 states now allow early voting, under which voters can cast ballots during a designated period before Election Day.

A small group of our wealthiest citizens is increasingly using outsized campaign spending to sway our elections. Voting has become more crucial than ever to make sure that the rest of us are heard.