Having large numbers of people at polling places at election time is a show of trust and civic participation.

I suspect that the opposite is true. It seems to me that people would be less likely to vote if they trust their fellow citizens to make the right choice and believe that the political system is fine. Turnout was at its highest in 40 years in 2008, in spite of the fact that most people agree there was a profound amount of political distrust and acrimony in that election.