less than a crisis for American democracy. Figure 1 tracks voter turnout between 1948 and 2000 and provides eloquent proof of the declining political participation in the United States.
The decline in turnout is not the only sign that the American public has become disengaged with the political system, however. For example, in 1960 over 60 percent of the nation's television sets were tuned in for the presidential debates that year. In 2000, less than 30 percent of households with television sets tuned in for the presidential debates (Patterson1).
What are the reasons for this marked voter apathy? The rest of this paper will examine the leading theories underpinning the decline in voter turnout. We will look at the decline of the political parties in the United States as organizing and mobilizing forces, the rise of niche issues that has made it difficult for candidates to forge comprehensive and coherent messages, the increase in media bombardment and the rise in negative advertising, and the growing disaffectation among young and politi
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