Why do people vote—or fail to? We explore whether people’s intuitive theories of moral progress shape their intentions and behavior. Specifically, does believing that human action is the driver of moral progress predict voting intention and actual voting behavior? In Study 1a (N=356), conducted one week before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, participants who endorsed stronger beliefs in human action as necessary for moral progress reported stronger voting intentions, mediated by a greater sense of personal responsibility. Study 1b (N=287), conducted post-election, found that human action beliefs did not directly predict actual voting, but indirectly predicted voting when mediated by responsibility. Efficacy (believing that voting is effective) was the only significant predictor of actual voting. Together, these findings highlight the role of personal responsibility and efficacy in driving voting behavior, with potential implications for the role of lay theories in shaping intentions and behavior more broadly.